


In Times Like These

by bexbax



Category: Wolfenstein (Video Games), Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, Wolfenstein: The New Order
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:29:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 23,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22764019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bexbax/pseuds/bexbax
Summary: Probst Wyatt is aboard Eva's Hammer, doing his best to keep the resistance against the Nazis moving. Anita Wilson has spent the past year undercover starring in pictures directed by Lady Helene, working her way up as a rising star in this new world order. Her cover is blown when she kills her fiancee.Now living on Eva's Hammer with the rest of the Kreisau Circle, she must adjust back into her old resistance life, and finds that there is some uneasiness between her and Wyatt, with some feelings between them that haven't been resolved.Meanwhile, they're working on growing and leading the resistance movement in the United States, but it'll take convincing for the Americans to finally stand up against their oppressors. The Kreisau Circle are on a mission to recruit the most influential resistance leaders around the country.[Set Pre-The New Collossus, before eventually merging into the Wyatt timeline]
Relationships: Probst Wyatt/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	1. i.

**Author's Note:**

> This is purely just a self-serving fic based around Wyatt & an original character. Kind of a slow burn. I mostly just posted this for anyone else out there desperate for Wyatt content.

i.

The cantina aboard Eva's Hammer was irregularly quiet this evening. Two or three other members of the resistance lingered around the tables, keeping to themselves. There always seemed to be an air of anxious silence that filled the ship now, as if they were all waiting for something. In fact they were, one B.J. Blazkowicz was two months deep into what felt like a never-ending coma. In truth, the morale on the ship had been dwindling for some time now because of it, however they knew better than to express this around Anya, who was pregnant with his child - or, children, which Set Roth had announced to her just last week. Most members of the resistance were on the down-low now, carrying out various scavenger missions for food and other equipment.

Probst Wyatt had been left in charge of the U-Boat after their leader, Caroline, had traveled out to Paris a month ago. With her power suit, the woman was basically unstoppable, and she was determined to find as many resistance fighters as possible to join their cause. In her last contact with them, she had even briefly mentioned whispers of a super soldier body created by the Nazis being stored at a base in Paris. Technology like that could definitely come in handy in the future.

But the future had started to look bleak without Captain B.J. awake. With news of Deathshead's death, B.J. had become something of a symbol of hope to the cause, and seeing him lay almost lifeless on that hospital bed for two months had been tough on the inner-circle of rebels that lived on the ship.

Wyatt looked up at the small, over-hanging television again, only to look back down at his empty tray of food whilst another advertisement played. It was almost 6:30. He had been waiting for this all week, determined to watch, undisturbed. Some other members of the resistance, Anya mostly, had told him maybe it was better he didn't. No one else was planning on watching, either. But he couldn't help himself, it had been almost two months of no-contact, maybe there was something preventing communication, maybe he could find a sign. Wyatt felt as if he was the only one who had hope.

A light flashed across his vision, and he looked up again to be met with the logo for the Jimmy Carver show. The usual intro played, music and all, and the enigmatic show host sat behind his desk with a smile. Wyatt zoned out most of the monologue, sick of hearing the same anecdotes about how _amazing_ it was to be under Nazi rule. When he had first heard these statements, being so blatantly said on American television, it made him feel sick. Now he just drowned it out.

"Now, my first guest is one lovely lady - best known for her guest role on the number one American sitcom 'Trust in Brother', give a great big welcome to Anita Fischer!"

The audience clapped as a lady dressed in white stepped out from the curtains, modestly greeting Jimmy with a peck on the cheek before being led to the chair beside his desk. She wears an elegant white dress, reaching an inch or so past her knees, matched with white colored heels. As she sat down, the camera panned up closer to her face, giving the viewers a closer look at her striking blue eyes, smooth porcelain skin and light, blonde hair. She's the perfect model, the perfect distraction - and she plays her part well.

Too well, Bombate would often comment, but Wyatt could see through it. He had spent enough time with her back in their old headquarters to know which smile was fake, which laugh was forced.

"Anita, it's so great to have you on the show. And to think this is your first time!"

"Well, you've never invited me on before." She's quick to answer, giving a small smile as the audience laughs. "In truth, it is great to be here. I feel very welcomed by the American audience during my visit here." Her accent is played on quite thick, clearly European.

"And you're visiting the country for the debut of Helene's most recent film, Der Eine? Will you have a role?"

"Unfortunately, no. But I'm here to support the actors. I hope more German cinema will be shown in American theatres." She smiled again.

"Yes, yes! Now, I also heard you haven't come to America alone, is that right?"

She laughed at that, her hand covering her mouth for but a second, and Wyatt saw the sparkling of her hand. He felt his heart sink to the very depths of his stomach, unblinking eyes refusing to look away from the screen for even a second. He had become so enthralled with what was on the screen, he hadn't noticed Anya stand just behind him, her too watching the display.

"I've come with my fiancee."

The crowd applauds loudly. Jimmy almost jumps from his seat in excitement. "Congratulations! Now, you must tell us who! Who is this mystery man?" Anita laughs again, shyly reaching up to her face again in embarrassment. Wyatt sees the ring once more, and if even possible, feels more ill than before.

"His name is Karl Müller. He's an officer, actually."

"How sweet! And how did you two meet? You never seem to stay in one place for too long!"

"We met at a dinner party at Helene's, it's ironic, isn't it? The happiest day of my life was when he proposed."

"What a lucky man! I'm sure Helene will be directing a new film on this story in the near future?"

Anita laughed again, softly. "I would be surprised if she didn't! She is truly a brilliant mind."

Wyatt looked away from the television when her interview was over, still feeling sick. His leg bounced as his mind raced with many thoughts, and he found there was only one he could comprehend. Is this still a ploy? Or had it become something real to her? No, he relented, this was her expertise - she had been working her way to the top for almost a year now, as part of Caroline's plan to garner intel on Nazi movements. This was all just an act. A very good act.

"She looks pretty." Anya said, still standing behind him.

"Do you think we'll get word from her soon?" He asked, seemingly trying to play nonchalant.

Anya sighed, moving to sit next to him at the table, her own plate of food in her hands. "I don't know."

When Wyatt remained quiet, she spoke again. "I think she's playing it safe. She's surrounded by Nazis, and now that she's engaged to one, it will be even more risky to send us information."

Wyatt pondered over her words for a moment, before replying. "Why would she do it, then? If it makes her mission that much harder." He hated himself for sounding so pathetic, however the overwhelming feeling of helplessness after watching her had taken hold of his senses.

"Maybe it truly was not her decision. Nazis stage political marriages all the time."

He felt some mild relief at that. Anya was right, these political marriages were common in the Nazi party, it could be true that this entire thing was arranged by someone else. He hoped so.

When Anita's eyes flicked up to the camera, Wyatt felt she was looking straight at him.


	2. ii.

ii.

Set Roth had asked a handful of members to meet at the helm three days later, with word from Caroline. Wyatt, Max, Anya, Bombate and a handful of others stood around the main table. When the old man walked into the room, he muttered his apologies for being late, holding various papers in his arms. He clumsily set them down on the table, speaking to the group as he did so. 

"Early this morning we received communication from Caroline. It appears that there are rumors of a resistance group in New York."

This immediately caught the attention of everyone in the room. Anya spoke first. "New York? But that entire area was bombed in 1948."

"Ja, but it seems there were survivors. Possibly the radiation levels have leveled out since then, I don't know, but Caroline believes she can establish contact with the supposed leader of this group." Set spoke quickly, and was prone to rambling, but he was no doubt a genius. If he believed there was a possibility of survivors, that was enough for many of the people in the room. Not all, though.

"How do we know this information is authentic? I am as hopeful as the next person, but we've heard similar stories in the past." Bombate spoke, looking around the room. He was not often the most critical person in the room, but his time on the U-Boat, and the prolonged lack of communication from both Caroline and B.J, it seemed like a more common occurrence.   
  
"She said... Uh..." Set shuffled the papers around again, humming until he found what he was looking for. "She received this information from Anita Wilson, yesterday."

At that, the room broke into chatter. All but Wyatt had something to say on that. In fact, he stood there rather dumbly, fighting a smile from finding it's way onto his features. _He knew it._ He knew she was still working behind the scenes, still loyal to the cause. Suddenly, he felt like the smartest man in the room.

"And how do we know for a fact she can be trusted?" Someone managed to yell over the chatter of the room, causing everyone to go quiet. As if by process of elimination, everybody's eyes slowly made their way to Wyatt. He stood there for a moment, before speaking.

"I _know_ Anita, I've been following her public appearances. She's engaged to a high-ranking Nazi officer, obviously with the intent of getting us better intel, and she's managed to make her way over to the U.S - She's our only way right now of knowing Nazi movements in America. I trust her."

Thankfully, his words were enough to calm the room, and Set continued with some further information on Caroline's most recent doings. She had in fact found a super soldier body, a highly confidential experiment in a small Nazi bunker in Paris, and would be returning in the next four weeks with it. She would also be finding a way to contact this resistance group in New York. 

Progress. This felt like progress. For the first time since Captain B.J's unresponsive state, Wyatt felt reassured that things were moving now. 

When the group had scattered, Wyatt made his way over to his room. Walking past some of the other rooms on the ship, Max Haus's and Bombate's, he always had the feeling his room looked and felt empty. He had tried many times to brainstorm some decoration ideas, posters, books, something to fill the room a bit more. However, no matter how hard he tried, the room stayed as is. It's not as though he had many personal possessions anyway, he thought to himself. In fact, two boxes stored under his desk were filled with items that were not even his. One was filled with the salvaged possessions of J, a resistance member he had become close with back at the Monuments of Truth headquarters. Captain B.J. had told him that his friend died fighting. Wyatt wished he hadn't died at all. 

The second box was filled with some items owned by Anita. When she had first left on her mission, Wyatt had mentally prepared himself for her death, or to never hear from her again and wonder what happened, but he didn't find himself prepared to see her on television, in newspapers, speaking on the radio. It was like she was _there_ , but he couldn't speak to her. 

Wyatt fell back onto his bed, sighing deeply. He looked up at the wall above his bed out of habit, looking through the several photographs stuck there, until he finally fell asleep.


	3. iii.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All conversations in italic are German. Also, TW for abuse. It's only very vaguely hinted at, but I wanted to be safe anyway.

iii.

He repulsed her. Every word he spoke, she detested, and each time he laughed, the thought of stabbing him through the throat became all the more alluring. But she smiled, laughing along with him, as they both sat and enjoyed breakfast in his quarters.   
Be thankful you don't see him so often, Anita reminds herself, it could always be worse. She had been using these thoughts to get through the last few months of her life. Her life, she almost laughed out loud, she didn't really have a life. She had constructed this entire fake identity for herself, climbing the social ladder in this new world the Nazis had created, and the only thing stopping her from killing the man sitting in front of her was thoughts of the resistance.

He was easy on the eyes, that she would admit. Classic Nazi archetype, she thought, light hair and eyes, strong nose. If it were as easy as only having to look at him, things would be much easier for her. But she has to _talk_ with him too, and that is where her patience is most tested. He fully bought into all the Nazi bullshit about their Fuhrer, the good they were doing for the world, and how important the Aryan race was to the future of humanity.

This in turn worked in her favor, though, because he was also very oblivious to her sneaking through his personal computer and other records. Because Anita Fischer was a proud and loyal German. Or so that's what he and the rest of the world thought. And it could always be worse, she reminded herself again, because she was not in chains. She wasn't been shot at. She was living a very comfortable life here. She just had to deal with him.

" _I've been thinking of assigning guards outside your door. There have been numerous... Strange deaths in this base, since we arrived._ "

She smiled at him, placing her hand on his. " _Don't be worried, love. I'm sure they'll catch however was involved._ " She highly doubted that. Because it was her.

" _This place is awful._ " He complained, holding her hands in his. " _You are not to do any more American entertainment, if it means you must come here. It's too volatile._ "

She paused for a second, before responding. " _You're right_."

She got through these moments by pretending she was someplace else. She pretended she was holding the hands of another, back in the resistance headquarters, J's music playing in the background, vibrating through the walls. 

" _I must go, it's almost 8:30. Clean up, and I'll see you tonight._ " He said, kissing her quickly before getting up. She watched him leave, and waited five minutes, before locking the door behind him. Her schedule was open today, giving her an opportunity to investigate through their database. After almost a year of rising through the ranks, befriending fascists and watching friends die, she was finally at a place where she felt useful. In truth, this engagement had been beneficial to her mission. 

She moved over to his computer in the other room, and quickly typed in the password she had uncovered. She went through new documents submitted by himself and other officers, mostly finding reports of civility in areas around the U.S., like Roswell. Anita continued scanning through documents until she stopped at one. Bingo. 'We believe the leader of the New York rebels is one Grace Walker. She has been spotted throughout New York and other cities close-by. She has a history of causing trouble. We believe there may be others with her, and are requesting search teams from authorities in order to find them.'

Anita smiled to herself, she was on a roll with this new information. Only four weeks ago had she re-established contact with Caroline, and now she had more news for her. She closed down the computer, calling in room service to clean the place, before leaving herself. Throughout her journey to her quarters, even at a Nazi base such as this, she was still recognized by people. It had taken her a while to get used to Nazis coming up to her for autographs, and truth be told even now it made her jump. 

For the mission, she would remind herself. All for the resistance.

As she made it to her room, she locked the door behind her, quickly looking through one of the suitcases under her bed, before finding a small black headset. Hesitantly, she put it on, pressing one of the buttons to the side.

"Blue jay, requesting communication with the nest."

She waited for a moment. Maybe the signal was too weak, last she had hard from Caroline, she was in Paris. Maybe she was...

"This is the nest." She heard Caroline's voice, and couldn't help but smile.

"Caroline, it's me."

"I'm surprised to hear from you so quickly, Wilson."

"Where are you now?"

"I'm in the U.S." Anita's heart jumped. She was close.

"I've come across some more information regarding the resistance group in New York. It's speculated that Grace Walker is the leader. They'll be sending search parties through New York soon."

"Grace Walker? I've heard that name before. I'll get Juna to find her. Where are you right now?"

"I'm at a base in Washington, DC."

"You're nearby, that's good. How are you fairing?"

"I'm fine."

"There have been no repeats of his behavior?" Anita's hand subconsciously brushed over the side of her face. 

"I've been on his good side since then."

"Be careful, Anita."

There was a slight pause on the line, before Anita spoke.

"How is everyone on the ship?"

"I was there last week. They're ready for a fight. Anya is having twins. Set is tinkering with the soldier body I found. Blazkowicz is still asleep."

"I guess he deserved the rest." Caroline laughed at that.

"We have a few new members staying aboard the ship, from Paris. I'm hoping we'll have more after we establish contact with this Grace Walker."

"I hope so too, the more of us, the better."

There was a knocking at her door, making her jump. "Someone's here, I have to go. Stay safe." She whispered, barely catching Caroline's "You too." She quickly took the headset off and put it back where she found it, straightening herself out, before going to answer the door.


	4. iv.

iv.

Four weeks later, Anita returned from doing press tours around the country - or, at least, in the parts of the country that were under complete Nazi control. She'd never admit it out loud, but the visits had been demoralizing. Seeing Americans so willfully bend to the control of the Nazis, being so complacent in everything that's happened. And she just sat there and smiled, answering reporter questions without any hesitations. She had recently spun a story that had caused a media frenzy - as soon as she was to be married to Karl Müller, she wanted to have a child. The thought made her shudder, but the press ate it up. To them, they were both a symbol of unity, a source of strength to the Nazi party.

Last week, she barred herself in her hotel room, and cried for hours. That day, the papers had printed a new story - Adolf Hitler congratulates Karl Müller and Anita Fischer on their announcement. Whether that was true, or a fabrication his PR team had set up, it scared her like no other. The possibility that she was on the radar of _the_ most powerful man in their current world, and that any move now could be scrutinized by him, had her panicked. Caroline contacted her that day, trying her best to calm her, although the woman was far from maternal. But it was a wake up call for Anita. She would be on her best behavior. She was in a position she could not lose. She would keep going, for the resistance.

Anita was in her room when she heard a knock at the door. A Nazi guard informed her that her fiancee wanted to see her. She knew better than to keep him waiting. 

When she made it to his quarters, he was slouched at his desk, looking through various papers almost frantically. " _Love?"_ She called to him, inching closer to the desk. 

" _I may have found something... Something that could put me in the highest ranks of global politics_." She froze slightly at that, fearing those words. She stepped closer to the desk. " _What do you mean, my love? What have you found?_ "

" _I think I have found the location of the Eva's Hammer U-Boat._ " 

Anita's blood ran cold. No thoughts running through her mind at all. She could only feel fear as he continued talking. " _Those wretched terrorists, Blazkowicz and the lot, stole the boat months ago. If this information is correct, which I believe it is, I will receive the highest honor from the Fuhrer._ "

He had this crazed look in this eye as he looked at her, smiling almost gleefully. She had to stop herself, breathe in and out - control yourself. Any slip now could mean death. But it was hard to think after the words he had just spoken. 

" _My love, that is incredible. How? And where could they possibly be hiding?_ " She asked, stepping towards him in order to get a better look at the papers on his desk. He smiled, grabbing at her and pulling her closer to him. " _Stupid terrorists, they have no idea that the ship is not completely undetectable._ " He laughed then, holding her. Anita took the opportunity to quickly scan through the papers, and she felt as though she would be sick. He was right. He had their co-ordinates. Just last week Caroline had given her their location, and he was right. 

" _Does anyone else know?_ " She asked quietly, ignoring the shake of her hands as she held them to his chest. It was something he had picked up on, however. " _No, I believe I am the first. Dear, why are you shaking like that?_ "

She quickly replied. " _Sorry my love, I am... So happy. And nervous. I'm so happy you were the first to discover this, you deserve the recognition, you work so hard._ " She smiled at him, and watched his expression soften.

" _What makes you nervous?_ "

" _The re... tched terrorists are like wild dogs, my love. They become vicious when we get close. Tell me you won't be on this mission?_ " He laughed at her. 

" _Don't be stupid. Of course, they are vicious, but nothing to be scared of. They are no match for us._ " Ironically it seemed they were, considering the damage they had done over the past year. But nevertheless, she smiled at him.

" _I know, I just worry for you, love. That is all._ "

He laughed again and pulled her closer. " _You are such a dedicated wife to me._ " She would never be a wife to him, if she could help it. " _If I may say, I believe I deserve a reward. Wouldn't you agree?_ "

She immediately caught on, refraining from grimacing at him. Instead she gave a soft laugh, and placed her hands on either side of his face. " _But, my love, we are still yet to be married._ "

" _I do not care for that rule. Besides, after I have released this news to my superiors, I will be above such petty rules._ "

She hummed, smiling at him again. " _Would you give me a moment, then, my love? I'm sure I have something more... Alluring to wear_." Stall. Stall. Stall. Stall him and get to the headset, Caroline and the others have to be warned about this new development. He nuzzled at her neck, replying. " _You are alluring to me already, dear. And I have you right here._ "

Think of something. Quick. " _Would you not want me looking my best? This is your reward, after all._ "

He groaned, kissing her roughly. " _I do not care._ "

Her heart was pounding hard in her chest, her eyes wide. She looked down at the desk as he kept kissing her. There had to be something. Something to get her out of this situation. Something to prevent him from sharing this information. Her eyes stopped at the pocket knife sat decoratively on the other side of the desk.

She kissed him back, pushing herself up to sit on the desk. He sat in front of her, eyes closed, completely oblivious to the thought that played through her mind. 

This was it. 

Without another second to think, she leaned back slightly, feeling the knife in her hand. She fiddled with it for just a moment, before she pulled herself towards him suddenly. 

In the throat. She had gotten him right in the throat. His eyes opened, and he stared at her, in shock. For the first time since they had met, he was truly looking at her. His blood quickly poured down her arms. As he opened his mouth, she stabbed him again. And again. And again. Until she was sat on top of him. The chair toppled over, forcing them both to the ground. Her body shook violently as she leaned over him, and she cried. Not for his life, but for her own. This was it for her, there was little chance she would be leaving this base alive. She stabbed him again, sobbing. "Nazi... Mother... Fucker."

She watched the life leave his eyes. 

She forced herself out of shock, coming to terms with what she had just done, and what she would do next. Blood stained her arms, still, and some of it had gotten onto her shirt. There was a dress in his closet, yes, his favorite dress on her. He had insisted on keeping it with him. She shakily stood up, pushing through the wobbly feeling in her knees. She made her way to the small sink in the bathroom, washing off the blood from her skin, and her hands shook violently. She looked in the mirror. She had paled considerably, and her face had swollen. Think. 

She had to contact Caroline, she had to know about the situation. 

She changed as quickly as possible into the dress, walking into the study, and hesitating when she saw his body again, just laying there. A deep red stained the surrounding carpet. She looked back at the desk, making sure to grab the papers he was looking at. She was about to leave, when she looked back at his computer. If she could somehow hide this information, for the resistance to find, she would have completed her mission. That's all that mattered.

She looked through the drawer under the desk, until she felt the familiar feeling of her USB. Risky as it was to leave here, right under his nose, but she knew him. She had known him. Completely oblivious to the very end. She inserted the USB to the computer, quickly going through whatever reports and documentation had been uploaded to the database in the last two months. This information had to have some use.

Once that was done, she took the USB and hid it in her shoe. Picking up the papers again, she folded them and kept them under her arm, taking one final look at the man on the ground, before leaving. She closed the study door behind her, and left his quarters. She briskly walked the halls, trying to remain as less suspicious as possible. When she passed a guard, she instructed him not to let anyone in Karl's room, as he had explicitly said he did not want to be disturbed. Hopefully that gave her some time.

When she got back to her room, she ignored the feeling of wanting to cry again, and ran straight to her bedroom, grabbing the headset under her bed. 

"Blue jay, requesting communication with the nest."

Ten seconds pass, and then. "This is the nest." She almost cried at the sound of Caroline's voice.

"It's over, Caroline. He knew where you guys were, he somehow found out - I'm not sure how, I got as much information from their database as possible but I don't think I'll be able to make it out of here - I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She rambled, tears in her eyes, as much as she tried to stop them.

"What? Anita, what happened?"

"He's dead."

There was a pause on the line.

"How long ago?"

"Ten, maybe fifteen minutes ago. He's in his room, I've bought some time before anyone comes searching for him, but I'm not sure how long that will be. I have some of his papers and a copy of the last two months from the database."

"And you're saying he found us? How?"

"He didn't say. I'm hoping the information in these papers will give some sort of clue. I'm trying to figure out where I can hide these. It can't be in here. When they find me they'll search my entire quarters."

"You're sure they will know it's you?"

"They'll know. My bloody clothes are in the bathroom. Even then, there's security cameras working around the clock outside. They'd have seen me come in and out."

"Fucking Christ. Stay on the line for me, I need to speak with the other members. Lock your door."

"Okay." Anita replied, hearing the line cut dead from Caroline's end. She got up and locked her door. After two or three minutes of dreadful, anxious silence, the line turned on again.

"We're coming to get you."


	5. v.

v.

She had practically begged with Caroline. Pleaded, don't come for me, but no use. Caroline was determined to get her out of there, she had seen enough death, she had seen enough resistance members die, she would see no more. She informed Anita to get to the roof of the building, that they were coming via helicopter in a surprise attack. In and out, sixty seconds. That left Anita trying to figure out how to make her way to the top floor of the building. What was on the top floor again?

Luxury apartments. She remembered now. _He_ had tried to argue with higher authorities that they were both worthy of staying in one during their time there, but to no avail. They were for high esteemed military personnel, and not even her connections could get her there. If she could somehow get her things to the top floor, when things inevitably hit the fan, it would make for an easy get-a-way. She had one hour.

She quickly packed her items, which were very little, but included some items from her wardrobe, some toiletries, and the box of Nazi intel she had collected over the course of the year. She fit it all into her suitcase, looking around the room in almost a frenzied state, trying to figure out how she could get relocated there. Relocation. If there was something wrong with the room, she could demand to be moved to the luxury apartments.

She went into the bathroom, and her eyes fell onto the toilet. Immediately, she started grabbing random items around the bathroom, roles of toilet paper, razors, bars of soap, and threw it into the bowl. She flushed, watching the contraption try, and fail, to take in everything. She flushed again, and she saw the water in the bowl quickly rise. She moved out of the way, into the main room, and watched as the bathroom flooded. Eventually, the water began seeping into the main room as well. She took a deep breath, before rushing out through her front door, flagging down two guards nearby. 

" _What is this? My room is flooded! This is unacceptable!_ " She cried, and by the time they had rushed into her room, the water made it's way through most of the apartment. " _I must be moved immediately._ "

Both guards looked at each other, before one spoke up. " _Uh, Miss Fischer, we are not sure if there are available rooms on this floor..._ "

" _There are rooms on the top level, right?_ "

" _Well, yes, but they are for..._ "

" _Gentleman please, look at the state of my room!_ "

" _Officer Muller has a room..._ "

She scoffed at that. " _Do you really think it appropriate that a man and woman who are not yet man and wife live in a room together? Please, save me the embarrassment! I'm appalled you would even..._ "

" _So sorry, Miss Fischer._ " The other spoke up quickly, nudging the other. " _We did not mean to imply anything... Of course, we can get you temporarily relocated to the top floor while your room is fixed._ "

She gave them a smile of relief. " _Bless you. Your help is very much appreciated. My suitcase..._ "

" _I will get your suitcase, Miss._ " The first one volunteered, rushing to her room. " _I will bring it to the top floor, and we will find you a new room._ "

She pat him on the shoulder as he passed. " _Thank you very kindly. I'm sorry for the inconvenience._ "

" _Nothing to be sorry about, miss._ " The one who stood in front of her said. " _Please, allow us to escort you up._ "

When they finally made it to the top floor, she thanked them profusely. They eventually found a free room, and left her suitcase in the main room, laughing as she joked with them about the state of things in this base. How typically American, she said, to which they agreed. One had even admitted he was a big fan of her, to which she smiled at. " _Would you two mind going back down to my room and retrieving something for me?_ "

When they left, her expression fell, and she locked the main door. These were definitely luxury apartments, that much was for sure, the room was huge, and filled with the most expensive gadgets and decorations. She walked back over to her suitcase, opening it up and pulling her headset on. 

"It's Bluejay."

"Anita, where are you?"

"I'm on the top floor, I managed to get relocated, I have everything with me. Just say the word."

"We're ten minutes away. You'll know we're here. When you get the signal, make your way up to the roof. We have only sixty seconds of no eyes on us, so don't take your time."

"Understood." The line went dead, and Anita sighed. She would be in Caroline's debt for this. She didn't _have_ to save her, she could have left her to die here, and Anita would be forever grateful for this rescue. 

Don't get too ahead of yourself, she reminded herself, she still needed to get to the helicopter without drawing any attention. That was the hard part. On her way up here, she saw the elevator was across the hall, not too far from where she was. She'd have to get there without being spotted. She fiddled with the pocket knife in her hand. Just in case.

And truth to Caroline's word, Anita knew when they arrived. A giant explosion shook the entire building, and Anita wasted no time grabbing her suitcase, double checking she left nothing behind, and opening the door to her apartment. She waited for a moment, watching men rush out of their rooms, and guards run down the hall to investigate what had happened. _Ten seconds._ When the hall had cleared for a moment, she rushed to the elevator, pressing the up button, and thanked whatever God was watching over her that the elevator doors opened instantly.

She jumped in, pressing the button to shut the door behind her, but just as they were about to close, a man's foot stopped it from shutting. She came face to face with one guard, apparently in too much of a shock to immediately recognize who she was. He closed the door behind him, holding his helmet in his hands. As the elevator lurched upwards, he took a moment before realizing they were going up rather than down. Anita let her suitcase drop to the ground. Just as he looked up at her, she lunged at him, stabbing him through the cheek. He pushed her off him, holding his face and yelling at her, and she lunged at him again to get him through the neck. When he stopped moving, she pushed him away and let him fall to the floor. _Thirty seconds._

As the elevator dinged and came to a stop, she grabbed her suitcase again and rushed out, immediately spotting Caroline's helicopter coming to a stop in the air, some three feet above the ground. Anita immediately bolted towards the helicopter. As she got closer, she saw Caroline open the door, wearing a suit of golden armor. It was a vision from a dream, Anita thought. Caroline's arm stretched out towards her, almost like a guardian angel. _Fifty seconds._

When Anita was close enough, she jumped, and Caroline caught her, immediately pulling her up. She dropped to the floor of the Helicopter, suitcase beside her, and she felt the Helicopter lurch upwards. 

"Welcome back, Wilson." 


	6. vi.

vi.

She laid there, silently, for a few more moments, seemingly unable to speak. Push through it, she willed herself. Push through the shock. Now is not the time for reaction. She pushed herself up, leaning against one of the walls of the helicopter. Caroline grabbed her suitcase and threw it to the back of the aircraft. When Anita finally spoke, they were some five minutes up in the air.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me, Wilson." Caroline told her, holding her hand out to her, which Anita gladly accepted, being pulled up her feet. "I'm glad you're alive."

"I am, too." She replied, being guided by Caroline to sit in one of the chairs near the front. "Are we safe?"

"We're up ten-thousand feet, going one hundred fifty miles per hour - I'd say so." A voice said from the front of the craft. Anita's head jerked up then, standing slightly from her seat. "Wyatt?"

"Good to have you, Bluejay." He laughed from his seat in the cockpit, eyes focused forward. She smiled, a genuinely smile, and fell back onto her seat. 

"You're exhausted, Wilson." Caroline said, sitting beside her. "Get some sleep. It'll be another hour before we make it back to the ship." And although she wanted to protest, sleep sounded like a good idea. Anita opened her mouth to say something, but felt herself slip away before she could say anything. The last thing she heard was Caroline's laugh.

As Anita fell into a deep sleep in her seat, most likely due to shock, Caroline turned her attention to the front of the craft. "Bombate? What are they saying?"

Bombate, who was sitting at the front alongside Wyatt, pulled off his headset and walked towards where she was seated. "Signals gone dead now, we're too high up, but last I heard they're reporting an explosion at the base. Possibly a bomb, terrorists. Mass casualties." He looked over at Anita, and softly smiled.

"We're not on their radar, then." Wyatt spoke up from the front.

"For now. In the next few hours, they'll have come up with a more concrete story. And all we can hope for is that they believe Anita Fischer is dead." Caroline replied. Bombate laughed, and pointed at the woman in question. "She looks dead."

Caroline chuckled, before shooing him. "Let her sleep."

When they finally made it back to the U-Boat, Anita was waking up from her deep, shock-induced sleep, feeling more than anything, confused. She had never actually been on the boat before, as they had stolen it while she away. It was... Giant. Once they had landed in the hull, Anita saw at least four other aircraft stationed. She hopped off the helicopter with the help of Bombate, and before she could say or do anything more, was immediately swarmed. Firstly, by Max Hass, who pulled her into a strong hug.

"Max Hass!" He yelled, holding her like a ragdoll. She laughed genuinely for what felt like the first time in forever. "I missed you too, Max." Once she was let go, she saw Anya. Anita immediately looked down at her stomach, smiling. "Congratulations, Anya."

They hugged, and Anya replied. "Thank you. I'm glad you're here with us."

That was a popular sentiment upon her arrival. _Glad you're here with us_. Not with _them_. In all the commotion and reunions, she had missed one resistance member standing in the back, just watching. Anita was shown through the boat, the cantina, the recreational room, the helm, the storage room, and numerous other places. Max had even shown her the pig he had decided to keep on board, named Rosa. 

When she was finally shown to her room, which was completely empty save a bed, they had left her to have some peace. Truthfully, it was a lot to take in, as only two hours ago, she was at a Nazi base as a renowned actress. She dropped her suitcase on the bed in the room, and looked out into the hall once again, curious as to where in fact she was on the ship. After going down several flights of stairs, and through many halls, she had very little idea where she was. She heard the soft humming of music from a radio nearby, and taking several steps from her doorway, she was outside someone else's room. She peered in for a moment, seeing someone sat at the desk in the room. In fact, the room was almost completely immaculate in condition, scarcely decorated and organised neatly. It took her a few seconds to realize who's this was, and the man at the desk turned to face her. 

"Oh! Wyatt, I hadn't realized... Sorry..."

"No, no. You're good." They spoke over each other. After a second of silence, they both laughed. 

"How are you doing?" He spoke again, turning the radio down. Anita lent casually against the door frame.

"I'm tired." She complained, making him chuckle again. "And... a little overwhelmed, honestly. This place is amazing."

"A bit of an upgrade to the old place, huh?" He laughed again. 

"Just a bit."

There was another bit of silence between them. Not one of those nice silences though, when nothing needed to be said. It was one of those silences where it was obvious they both had something to say, some things to talk about, however neither knew how or where to start. Wyatt suddenly grabbed something from under his desk, a small box, marked 'Anita'. He stood from his seat, slowly but surely walking towards her. "I... Uh, well I managed to save some of your things. From the old HQ. I wasn't sure what exactly you wanted to keep... I just sort of threw whatever I could find in here."

Throughout his rambling, Anita felt a pang in her heart. Something akin to sadness, maybe, or maybe it was whatever leftover feeling of shock that still hadn't left her system. She almost didn't know what to say. "Thank you, Wyatt." As he handed her the box, she made eye contact with him for only a moment, before she smiled and left, adamant that she would keep her resolve around him. Around them all. They couldn't know the truth, that in fact this past year had broken her in a way, that she often cried in her room, that it was hard for her. She closed the heavy, metal door to her room, placing the box on her bed. 

She had no right to feel this way, she thought. She had it easy, compared to them. Blazkowicz was lying in a hospital bed, for Christ sake, she by far had had the easiest path here. She wouldn't take it for granted. But whenever Wyatt looked at her, and smiled, and asked if she was okay, she was so tempted to tell him _no_ , things weren't okay.


	7. vii.

vii.

Later that night, she couldn't sleep. She had slept through most of the day, and when most others were in their rooms, she was wandering the halls of the ship, adamant to learn her way around. Purely by coincidence, she had stumbled into the medbay, and was almost shocked to see B.J. And while she shouldn't have been surprised, she knew he was there, he was in a coma, seeing it with her own eyes made it feel more _real_. Captain B.J. Blazkowicz, a symbol of freedom for the resistance and the rest of the world, the man who took down Deathshead and single-handedly staged a prison break out in not just one, but two high-security Nazi prisons, was lying on this hospital bed, almost unmoving except for his breathing. She stood a few feet away from the bed, almost too scared to get any closer. 

It had been three months now, and Anita wondered if he would ever wake.

Anya walked into the room, surprised when she saw Anita standing there, also. "Set says that although the damage is serious, he will live."

"Glad to hear it." Anita replied, still watching him. "It's just... Surprising, is all. Seeing him like this."

"It was hard for everyone, the first month." Anya admitted, stepping forward. "Seeing someone you thought was so indestructible, just lie there." She looked sad as she spoke, thoughtfully looking down at him.

"How are you holding up?" Anita asked. Anya looked away from B.J. "The morning sickness is... Well it's not great. But I'll survive."

They both smiled at each other, before Anya spoke again. "Are you hungry? Let's go to the cantina together."

At the cantina, they were served chicken dumplings, apparently a Tuesday special. It was when they both sat down with her food, that she realized just how hungry she was. She hadn't been eating much in the past year, a habit she would have to fix. Eventually, some of the others came to join them, including Bombate and Wyatt. The group talked amongst each other, commenting on whatever was playing on the television. Anita kept to her food, but was happily listening to whatever conversation was happening around her. She accidentally made eye contact with Wyatt, and she smiled out of embarrassment before turning away.

"Hey, hey! Wait a minute!" Bombate suddenly spoke up, coming close to Anita. "Have your eyes always been green?"

"Wow, Bombate. How long have we known each other, and you thought my eyes were _blue_?" She acted, watching as he and the others laughed. In fact, she had been wearing blue lenses for so long, she too had almost forgotten her eyes were green. He got closer to her.

"You know I'm just messing around! Your eyes are truly a sight to behold." He smiled, making Anita laugh. He always was a flirt. "But, truthfully, I do prefer you as a brunette."

"Maybe we can dye your hair back, Anita? I'm sure I have some brown dye hiding somewhere in my room." Anya said, and Anita agreed with her, that maybe it was for the best to go back to brunette. Having to bleach her hair this colour consistently had become a burden, and the colour held some baggage. Reminded her of the life she had constructed. She wanted no more of it.

As they all sat and ate and talked, something on the television had suddenly caught her attention. She quietly asked for someone to turn up the volume, so she could hear what she was seeing. 

"Reports came in today of a shocking terrorist attack at a Government base in Washington, D.C. Mass casualties have been reported. It is theorized a bomb had been planted within the building by an undercover terrorist."

A picture of the building flashed, showing a large chunk of the building had been completely totaled. Bombate laughed at this.

"What is most heartbreaking, however, is the reports that actress Anita Fischer was one of the many casualties, along with her fiancee Officer Muller."

Anita suddenly felt... Uncomfortable. Like she was watching something she wasn't supposed to see.

"The nation is mourning a rising star in her own right, and others such as Lady Helene have come out to offer their prayers for the actress. Frau Engel, in a videoed message, condemned the responsible terrorists." The screen cut to the mentioned Nazi commander, who stood in a room consisted of only a desk, and giant Nazi symbols painted onto the walls. "What we have witnessed today is a terrible act of inhumanity. A young, talented and loyal woman was taken from this earth too early, done so purposefully by the scum who continue to terrorize innocent people around the globe. But, I can assure you this, we have not been broken. No, we will avenge her death, and the death of Officer Muller, as well. For the motherland, and for our Fuhrer."

Anita felt sick again. They were using her supposed death as a ploy, as propaganda for their party.

"Then it's done, the world believes you're dead." Bombate spoke up suddenly, standing back from the table. The group had suddenly become unbearably quiet, and Anita didn't want to be there anymore. She blinked a few times, looking anywhere but the people surrounding her, before she abruptly stood and left. She heard conversation pick up again after her exit, and hoped that was a sign she would be left alone.

When she made it back into her room, she cried. First, she cried because the news story made her feel like she had helped them in some way, rather than crippled them. Then, she cried because she felt pathetic. She should be stronger than this. She was in there for some time, wallowing in her own thoughts, when she heard a knock at her door. Horrified at the thought someone would see her like in that state, she yelled back, "Give me a moment!" She rushed to the sink and splashed water onto her face, fixing up her hair in an attempt to look presentable. She hesitantly walked towards the door, opening it, and immediately regretting her decision. 

Wyatt awkwardly stood at the door, holding a plastic container of what looked like some leftovers. "I... brought you some food. You left dinner early." She hummed, not entirely sure how to respond, but took the container from him regardless. It went quiet again, before he sighed.

"Look, can I... Can I come in?" Still, she found no words would come from her mouth. Her eyes were on the floor. He spoke again. "Have I done something... Said something to make things... Weird? I really..."

She stopped him almost immediately, looking up at him, and suddenly feeling horrified with herself. Of course, she thought, of course he would feel at fault, when she had been making attempts to avoid him the entire day. After almost an entire year of not seeing each other. She had been too preoccupied with her own feelings of guilt, unworthiness, she hadn't even thought about what *he* was feeling. For that, she hated herself.

"No, no - Christ, Wyatt. No. It has nothing to do with you." She reassured him, moving away from the door slightly, allowing him entry. If they were going to talk, it wasn't going to be out in the hall, for all to hear. When he inched into the room, she spoke again. "I... Don't know. I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm sorry."

"Just talk to me, Anita." He said, standing in front of her now. And how could she say no to him? His soft brown eyes looked down at her, pleading. She couldn't say no, not when he looked at her like that. She closed the door behind him.

"I didn't want to be... a burden." She started, looking everywhere but him. "I mean, really, what hardships have I gone through? Compared to B.J? Caroline? You?" 

"Ann..."

"I'm *not* looking for sympathy, Wyatt. I don't deserve it. Whatever it is i'm going through, I'll get over it. I just... Don't know why I feel like this." She rambled, looking away again. "There's just something wrong with me."

She jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up at him again. "Whatever you went through out there, it matters just as much as what I've gone through. It matters to _me_ , Anita. Sure, you weren't dodging bullets, or in Nazi chains - But you worked your way up their ladder, risking your life for the cause all the same. I don't know why you think that doesn't matter."

She couldn't help it, she felt a tear fall down her cheek. Maybe he was right, she thought, maybe... All that she had experienced over the past year _was_ valid. She just never heard anyone tell her that. Heck, she hadn't even known she needed to hear those words. But they provided her some sort of relief. He wiped the stray tear away with his thumb, still looking at her, and for the first time since reuniting, they hugged each other.

"I hated being away. I hated being in front of those cameras." She admitted, out-loud for the first time, her head buried in his shirt.

"I watched every appearance." He muttered after a moment.

"Really?" She gave a soft laugh. "What did you think?" 

"I think you're a terrific actress." She laughed again, looking up at him. They looked at each other for a moment. "I... Think it's time I get some sleep."

"Oh! Right." Wyatt pulled away first, smiling. "Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight." She replied as he left the room, looking at her one last time, before closing the door.

 _It matters to me_ , she remembered him say. And she smiled again to herself.


	8. viii.

viii.

"You! My dear, are definitely underweight - in fact, it's a wonder you aren't lethargic or what have you... Look at your skin! So pale." Set Roth rambled as he walked around the medbay, searching for something. Anita sat on one of the spare beds, just watching him move around. "There... Should be a BMI chart somewhere. Verdammt... Look at this place, a mess! Ah, here we go." 

He found the chart handing it over to her. "You see? This is where you should be... when in fact this is where you are now. It's no good! Will get you very sick. So, you must eat! Three meals a day, preferably at least one with red meats. Luckily for you, we recently received a shipment of assorted foods from one of the resistance bases in Paris, you can thank Caroline for that."

"Is that it? I'm healthy otherwise?" Anita asked.

"Perfectly fine, otherwise." He reassured her, taking the BMI chart from her and moving around the room once again. She stood up from her spot on the bed, her eyes naturally drifting over to B.J.

"Ah, Captain Blazkowicz, he's improved in the last month." Set told her.

"When do you think he'll wake up?"

"Hard to say. Could be next month. Could be closer to five. All we can do is wait."

Anita sure hoped it was sooner rather than later. 

"Well, good morning Captain." A voice said, and Anita turned her head to see Wyatt slightly leaned over B.J's bedside. "Morning Set. Anita, Caroline wanted to see you, she's at the helm."

"I'm... Not exactly sure where that is." She admitted, embarrassed, only to be met with a smile. "Then I'll take you." 

As they walked out of the room, Set called for Wyatt. "Make sure she eats! Especially red meats!"

"Got it!" Wyatt replied to him, looking over to her and laughing as they walked down the halls of the ship. Anita thought it would take her forever to memorize where to go on this ship, it was so huge. "Red meats?"

"He wants me to bulk up a bit." She replied, waving as they passed a few other resistance members who were lounging around. 

"Well, I'll try to keep you on track." He said, and she laughed.

At the helm, Caroline was waiting for her, the box of Nazi intel sat on the table in front of her. "That Nazi was onto something, Wilson." Straight to business, of course.

"How so?"

"Turns out there are a few areas in U.S. waters that are specifically being monitored by underwater detection devices." Caroline explained, showing her one of the papers. Quickly reading through, Anita saw more about these devices. Specifically, they detected sonar transmissions, and had a radius of about 50 miles, meaning they had to stay well clear of these areas in order to avoid any further detection. 

"So, these areas need to be mapped out, right?" She asked. 

"That's exactly why I wanted you here. I'll need your help mapping these out." 

Anita almost smiled. She was happy to be back. 

"Anything I can do?" Wyatt asked, standing at the table beside her. 

"Yes." Caroline replied. "Anya is currently attempting to contact Grace Walker, in New York. Any help you can give her would be appreciated." Wyatt nodded, looking over at Anita for a second, before leaving to find Anya. Caroline gave her a look, one of those motherly, knowing looks, that she chose to ignore. In fact, most of her complicated feelings on Wyatt, she chose to ignore - _now was not the time to think like that_ , she reminded herself. They were friends.

Two hours later, all the mapping out was done. Some twenty devices were placed around the ocean area surrounding the U.S., so they were basically in the middle of a minefield. As long as they kept to this map, they should be safe. In truth, Anita was just happy being there, helping them plan, being behind the scenes again. With people she considered her actual friends. 

"How are you adjusting, being on the ship?" Caroline asked after they had finished, and the two collected the papers spread across the table. 

"It feels good. I feel at home." Anita admitted, before spotting Anya walking towards them.

"No response yet from Grace. Wyatt's trying something else out now." She informed Caroline, who simply nodded. Anya turned to Anita. "It's lunch time. How about we grab something to eat?" Anita happily left with her to the cantina.

Later in the evening, with nothing better to do, Anya was dyeing Anita's hair in her room. 

"Your hair is so frail." 

"Yeah, I bleached it a hell of a lot of times to get it to this colour." 

"Well, I would stay away from the bleach for a while. For as long as possible, really." Anya said, making Anita scoff. "Is it really that bad?" 

"It feels like rough paper in my hand." They both laughed.

"So..." Anya started after some time sat in silence. "Wyatt followed you after you left last night." Anita groaned.

"It's not like that, Anya." 

Anya laughed, watching her friend. "It's not?"

"No! He just came to check on me, gave me some leftovers." 

She was not sure why, but even though this was entirely the truth of what happened, she felt like she had just told a lie. But that is just what happened, he was a concerned friend who wanted to know she was okay. "Do you want it to be _like that_?"

Anita sunk lower into her chair. "Anya... Talking about things like this, in a time like this..."

"In a time like what?"

"Of war! In case you forgot, we're living on a U-Boat in the middle of the ocean, dodging Nazi authority. Something like that, it wouldn't work." Anita explained, looking up at Anya. "I'm entirely focused on the mission."

There was some silence again, before her friend spoke. "You know... William and I met in a time like this."

"That's different." She muttered, but as she opened her mouth to say something again, she stopped herself. Was it different?

When Anya was done, Anita went into the shower, and when she came out, she felt like herself again. She looked in the mirror, admiring her hair, and actually felt happy with her appearance. No more Anita Fischer. She was Anita Wilson. When she came out, dressed in the casual clothes she had packed, Anya was waiting for her. 

"Stunning."

When they both returned from the showers, Anya turned in for the night. Anita watched the woman as she walked down the hall. How the woman had so much energy, to walk through this boat all day, she had no idea. Just as she was about to move back into her room, Wyatt rounded the corner. 

"Hey." She greeted, lowering her voice slightly, as by then it had gotten late.

"Hey." He greeted her, moving closer before stopping entirely. His eyes moved along her face for a moment. "Your hair."

"Oh, yeah Anya was just in here helping me." She answered, noticing that his eyes were still carefully trained on her. After some seconds had passed, she spoke again. "Wyatt?" 

He seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in. "It... You look good."

She smiled at him. "Night."

"Goodnight." He replied, still staring at her with this look in his eyes, as she closed her room door.

Crap. The more she thought on it, the more she kind of wanted it to be... _like that_.


	9. ix.

ix.

They had done it. Contact had been established with Grace Walker in New York City. It took some convincing, apparently this Grace woman was not one to trust so easily, but her group were stationed at the top of the State Building. Grace had only briefly spoken to Caroline, and there was no other information shared. They played it safe, which in times like these, was a good idea.

Wyatt walked through the halls of the ship, trying to keep himself busy for the day. It was particularly quiet today, as two groups - including Bombate - had left in the morning to do some supply pickups. Caroline was in her room, most likely noting down her conversation with the New York resistance leader. That left Wyatt with nothing much to do. He stopped at Max's room, seeing it empty. Where the heck was everyone?

Hesitantly, he stopped next at Anita's room. Also empty. He sighed. After their talk on her first night back, he had hoped there would be no more weirdness between them, and although it did in fact clear up some... misunderstandings, between them... A new problem had come up. And truthfully, Wyatt felt guilty about it. The last thing she would want, after an entire year away, being in some kind of sick relationship with a Nazi, and dealing with whatever came with that, the last thing she would want was to think about was any kind of relationship. That made sense to him.

But it was hard for him, because whenever he saw her, his eyes lingered a little too long. He payed extra attention whenever she spoke. He found himself naturally gravitating to wherever she was. And last night, when he saw her outside her room... He had almost forgotten how stunning she looked with brown hair. And those lovely, green eyes. Darn it, it was hard. But, for her sake, he knew it was best that he moved on. No more weirdness, he promised.

When he had finally made it to the recreational room, above the cantina, he spotted Anya, Max and Anita crowding around the arcade machine in the corner of the room. 

"Go Anita, move, move!" Anya shouted. As he got closer, he could see Anita was playing, and quite well too. That was probably the highest score on the machine. 

"Max Hass!" 

"I'm - Wait... So close. So close! Damn it!" Anita yelled, pushing away from the machine in frustration. _YOU DIED_ flashed in bright colors on the screen. Anya groaned, leaning against said machine, as Max pointed at the leader-board. 

"You still got the highest score." Anya sighed, almost disappointingly. Wyatt walked up the small group. "Hey guys."

"Any word from Bombate's group?" Anya asked when she saw him. Max waved at him, before moving to sit in a nearby lounge chair, book in hand. 

"No. Caroline mentioned they'd probably be coming back later tonight." He told them, looking over at Anita, who was still staring at the leader-board. Anya hummed, before joining Max on the lounge. 

"I'm convinced there is no way you can beat this game." Anita spoke up. Wyatt laughed, moving to her. "You beat my score."

She looked up at him, eyes suddenly filled with excitement. "Really?" She looked back at the leader-board, taking a second before she spotted the initials 'PW', just underneath hers. "Oh."

He laughed again, now standing beside her at the machine. She looked back at him, waited a moment, and spoke again. "Think you could convince Caroline to let me on the next supply run?" 

"Maybe." He replied. "Why won't she let you go?"

"Actually I haven't asked her." Anita admitted. "But Set told me it wouldn't be a good idea. And he's probably told her that, too."

He took a moment to really look at her, and he was inclined to believe Set. She was frail looking, and compared to over a year ago, looked like she had lost almost 40 pounds. Her skin was still so pale too. "Have you been eating like he said?"

"Yes." She replied, suddenly looking annoyed. "I'm not a kid, you know, I don't need these... Checkups." 

"I didn't say..." He started, but trailed off when he watched her expression soften. She looked away from him, and Wyatt looked over at Anya, who was trying and failing to hide the fact that she was watching and listening to them. He sighed. "Look, there's a training room on the lower level floor. Maybe one of us could help you?"

Anita looked up at him, looking surprised for a moment, before she smiled. "Really?"

"We could take turns." Anya butted in, putting her book down. "It'd bulk you up a bit, for sure."

Anita was happy with that. They spent the rest of the day mostly reading, going through some of the intel she had managed to save, and Wyatt had kept a respectable distance from her. Short answers, avoiding eye contact, finding excuses to move to the other side of the room. And Anita had immediately picked up on it. Why was he acting this way around her now? She had tried acting like she wasn't bothered by it, that actually it was a good thing, but there was still some part of her that felt bothered by it.

That evening, both teams had returned to the boat, and Bombate had brought a little surprise. He walked into the recreational room, where they were all quietly seated, holding a large crate of...

"Booze!" He yelled, making them jump. 

"Max Hass?" Max stood up first, walking towards Bombate, who replied. "We're getting messed up tonight, Max!"

Anita stood up next, quickly moving towards the crate that was now set on one of the counters. The little alcohol she had drank over the past year were varied wines, all only had at social events to keep up appearances. When she was engaged, she had stopped drinking altogether, at the request of her _fiancee_. Screw him, she thought to herself. 

"Where'd you even get this, Bombate?" She asked, clearly impressed, as Max opened the crate up with ease. Inside was about forty bottles of beer. "One of our suppliers had it with him, we bargained, I won!"

"It's about time." Wyatt said, now standing next to them. "I haven't seen this stuff in... months." 

Twenty minutes after that, the recreational room was full of people, the radio was turned up, and Anita could barely hear herself think. Not that she wanted to, anyway. She just wanted to drink, have fun, forget her troubles. At least for tonight. She took a sip from her own bottle, watching a group of other resistance members badly playing beer pong in the center of the room. Max was by the radio, dancing. Wyatt was over with Bombate, laughing and talking to some other people. Even Set had joined in on the fun, casually chatting with anyone who had the capacity to listen. Anita and Anya were sat at the bar, reminiscing over history. Anya was probably the only one sober in the room.

"And seeing the looks on their faces..." Anita laughed loudly. "God, Nazis are so stupid."

Anya laughed. "I still can't believe we managed to steal an entire U-Boat from them."

"You should've heard..." Anita started, laughing. "Heard how they spoke about us, in those bases. _Terrorist scum_!" She shouted in German, making Anya laugh. "What idiots... How superior are they now?"

"I can hear you from the other side of the room." A voice spoke up, and she turned to see Bombate standing there, beside Wyatt. Anita laughed again, replying. "Hey, I'm having a good time. You going to kick me off the boat?"

Bombate laughed. "I might!"

Anya spoke again. "Anita, do the Nazi impression!"

" _Those terrorist scum! The superior German race will live on! Long live our idiot Fuhrer! Now, watch as I let these terrorists steal my giant U-Boat_!" She yelled again in German, making them laugh. In truth, she actually did enjoy acting, and spending so much time with those Nazis had given her plenty of material.

"Your German is most impressive, my friend." Bombate laughed, pushing her shoulder. She laughed with him. She ignored Wyatt standing there quietly. In another circumstance she would talk to him, ask if something was wrong, but she couldn't bring herself to do that right now. Tonight was about having _fun_.

Three hours later, things had started to calm down. Anya had long since gone to bed, tired of having to babysit the others, and Anita was wandering the halls before she stumbled into her dark room. She was in a better state compared to Bombate, but she was still feeling the effects of the alcohol. She looked around her room aimlessly, before her eyes fell onto her suitcase. An idea sprung into her head. She dropped onto the floor, rummaging through the suitcase, before she found what she was looking for.

Photographs. Of her, when she was Anita Fischer. She had thought of keeping these, just as keepsakes, as a reminder of her year long mission. But she didn't want to be reminded, she hated thinking about it, she had no fond memories of that mission. Even the times she had proved useful, gathering intelligence that was necessary to the resistance, she couldn't even look back on that with fondness, either. She just wanted it gone.

She looked around her room again, finding a lighter in the desk that Max had helped put into her room earlier. She turned back to her photos, looking at them with great intensity, before flicking the lighter on. 

"Christ, Anita...!" Someone called out from the hall, and she quickly turned her head, seeing Wyatt there. He was looking slightly disheveled himself, she thought, his hair was ruffled and he had taken off his sweater, now just wearing his pants and a white shirt. He looked handsome, she thought, and for once did not argue with the thought. He looked concerned, moving closer to her door. "What are you doing?"

She looked back down at the pictures, sobering slightly now as she realized she probably looked insane. "I'm... Was gonna get rid of these pictures..." She looked up at him again, and he moved to crouch down beside her. He tenderly took the photo out of her hand, observing it. It was her, taken a few months ago, wearing some nice dress gifted to her. She smiled in the photo, but it was obvious to both of them, she was far from happy there.

"I don't want them here anymore." She almost pleaded, pushing the now dead lighter into his chest. He took it from her, their hands touching. He thought for a second, before standing up, pulling her up with him. "C'mon, let's take this to the trash shoot." 


	10. x.

x.

They walked in silence through the halls, passing by Max's room, who was now fast asleep. They next passed Bombate's room, and they both heard the distinct sound of a woman giggling. They kept walking, avoiding eye contact with each other. After some time walking in silence, Anita broke it, by speaking softly. "I kept them thinking I could look back at them... With something, other than hate I guess."

She spoke again without a pause. "Is it weird I wanted to be proud of that time?"

"No." He replied. "I used to think that way about when I first joined the war. Back in 1946, I mean."

"You don't feel proud of that?"

He took a moment to reply, as they walked up the stairs, still holding the small box of photographs. "Not anymore. I was just a kid, when I joined, and... Well, I left my family behind. And there were consequences to that, that I didn't realize back then."

She knew what he meant. Back at the old headquarters, he had confided in her about his mother's overdose, the day he left for the war. Quietly, she replied. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you're here with us now."

He quickly looked over at her as they turned a corner. He gave a small smile. "Me too."

When they made it to the trash shoot, Anita picked up the same picture again, looking at it one last time. "Rest in piece, Anita Fischer." She put the photograph back into the small box with the others, before throwing it down the hole. Wyatt closed the hatch afterwards, and they stood there in silence, both deep in thought. As much as she tried thinking about literally anything else, her thoughts kept coming back to the man standing in front of her. She wanted to speak to him normally, she wanted to be around him without feeling like she shouldn't. She was tired of listening to that voice in her head that told her she didn't deserve this, that she didn't deserve _him_ , that now wasn't the time for _that_. She was tired of worrying, most of all. After a moment, Anita looked up at him, and he was leaned against the wall, looking down at the floor. 

"Wyatt." He looked up at her. _He has pretty eyes_ , she thought. "Things are still weird between us." Damn it, why did she say that. Out-loud. Idiot. She had sobered enough now, that she was arguing with the part of her brain that was letting her talk. 

The statement seemed to take him off guard, as he strained up slightly against the wall. "Yea..."

"Why?" She couldn't stop herself from asking, moving a step closer to him. It was hard to see each other, the lighting in this area of the ship was extremely dim, but she saw his eyes move rapidly, thinking of something to say. 

"I... I don't know." He sighed. She took another step forwards. "Just talk to me, Wyatt."

He was still looking away from her. He swallowed, before answering hesitantly, his expression pained. "I can't."

Her eyebrows furrowed, and she took another step towards him, now only a foot away from him. "Why not? If I did something... If something happened to you..." She moved her hands as she spoke, getting more aggravated at the situation. What was wrong with them? Why was it always so hard? 

"No." He quickly spoke, and without thinking took both her hands in his. He was just as surprised as she was at the action, but quickly continued. "No, it has nothing to do with you, Anita. It's all me."

"Then tell me what's happening with you?" She pleaded, instinctively moving closer with his hands still holding hers. "I don't want things to be weird anymore, Wyatt."

"I don't either." He quickly said, his expression still pained. "I just have these... feelings... I, I don't know." Frustrated, he let go of her hands, and she quickly moved them to his face, where she held both sides of his jaw. They looked at each other for a moment, before they kissed each other. It was a slow, simple kiss, but Anita savored every moment of it. Every moment of _him_. When he slid his arms to her waist, she felt a feeling she had never felt before. It wasn't like this when Karl Muller kissed her, she didn't feel anything when he touched her like that. _Don't think about him_ , she told herself, and her attention was brought back to Wyatt, who had pulled away from her slowly, now looking right at her. He was no longer jittery, he no longer looked in pain, he was just looking at her.

"Wyatt, I..." She started, almost breathlessly, almost in denial over what just happened. And then she completely sobered. What. Just. Happened. Her thoughts were suddenly spiraling, she nervously looked away. Was this a mistake? It didn't feel like a mistake. But maybe it was a mistake. God, maybe he didn't even have those kinds of feelings for her. She hadn't even thought of that. She quickly looked at him again. 

She was going to walk away, not knowing how else to process the situation, when Wyatt softly grabbed her arm to stop her. She looked back up at him, and he kissed her again. And she felt bliss, a feeling she had never really felt before. Him, holding her like this, kissing her, made her forget about what was happening to the world around them, how messed up it had become. It was just him and her. He pulled away for a moment, speaking softly to her.

"I've wanted this... For the longest time. Since I met you. I didn't know how to tell you, I didn't know if you felt the same way... But..." He sighed frustrated. "For Christ's sake, I'm the worst at this." She snorted, smiling up at him. "I feel the same way."

He smiled at her, looking completely enamored with her. "You do?"

She leaned her head against his shoulder, nodding as she did so, and he wrapped his arms tighter around her. They stayed there like that, for a few more minutes, before Anita spoke. "We could stay down here forever."

He hummed, giving a short, quiet laugh. "But what would they do without us?"

She laughed with him, suddenly yawning. She had no idea what time it was, she wasn't bothered to even check. 

"We should get you to bed." Wyatt proposed, pushing her upright so she could stand on her own. His hand was on her back, and she leaned her head against his shoulder, as they slowly walked back to their rooms. 


	11. xi.

xi.

Anita woke up, head slightly pounding, to the sound of her door being opened. She felt... Strange. Hangover, she reminded herself, she had a hangover. She had almost completely forgotten what that sensation felt like. Anya was in her room suddenly, looking at her expectantly. "Let's go, Anita. Six AM training, remember?"

Anita lazily moved to get up, but the weight of her head pulled her back down to her pillow. She groaned. "No... What are you talking about?" 

Anya laughed at her, arms folded, and she reminded Anita of a mother trying to wake her kid for school. "You drank too much. You told me last night you wanted to train this morning. And I'm up now, it's six AM, and I won't let you get out of it."

Anita groaned again, finally forcing herself to sit up. "Never let me to do that again."

"I'll meet you at the training room, okay? If you get lost, ask someone for directions." Anya told her, before leaving. Anita sat there for a moment, trying to get herself under control. Then she remember Wyatt. Wait. Wyatt. She quickly looked around her room, memories coming back to her from last night. She remembered him almost carrying her to her room, coaxing her onto the bed, then nothing. He must have left after.  
  
She smiled at the memories of last night, finding she was happy with the way things had turned out. It was like they had discovered the missing piece to the puzzle of why they had such a hard time talking, or just being around each other in general, and why it felt so out of place. They both had feelings for each other, Wyatt said since he had first met her, and Anita suspected it was the same for her. She had always had tender feelings towards him, but chalked it up to them being similar in age, mostly because she felt like if she was denying these romantic feelings towards him, they would leave. Of course, they didn't. She wanted to see him again, but decided against it, remembering the harsh look on Anya's face when she barged into her room.

Twenty minutes later, she had gone down to the lower levels of the ship, finally finding the training room. It was similar to that of the rooms in the rest of the ship, but was much wider and more spacious. When she got there, Anya was standing there waiting for her. Max was sitting in the corner of the room.

"You're thirty minutes late." Anya called out. 

"What? You woke me up at six." Anita argued, moving to the center of the room. It was then she saw what looked like a temporary shooting range, fit with wooden signs that could move side to side on some sort of conveyor belt. Made by Set, most likely. 

"I woke you up at five fifty. It's now almost six thirty." Anya corrected her, before grabbing one of the rifles that were sat in a container, throwing it at her. Anita barely caught it, glaring at her. "Today, we're doing shooting."

Anita looked over in the direction of Max. "Is he okay with that?" She remembered he despised loud noises. 

"He's fine." Anya reassured her. "He's even tried his own here. This is only temporary, until we can find somewhere else on the ship." Anita nodded, holding the gun up to her chest. In truth, she hadn't held a gun in a very long time, let alone used one. Most of the killing she had done over the past year was done with knives, or other similar weapons.

"Let's go."

Two hours later, Anita was on the floor of the training room. Anya was not babying her in the slightest, having her constantly moving. At one point, she had Max throw things at her while she was trying to shoot. Every time something hit her, she yelled, and Anya would tell her to keep going. At one point, Anya instructed her to come hit her. ' _Let's see how you are in a fight_ ' She had told her. And now, Anita was on the floor, adamant that she would not get back up. I was going easy on her, she told herself, the woman was pregnant for Christ's sake.

"You did good." Anya told her, watching her from above. Max was stood above her too, looking concerned. "Max Hass?"

"I'm fine, Max." She reassured him. "Just... Catching my breath."

Afterwards, and after Anita had gone for a shower, they were at the Cantina, grabbing something for breakfast. There was plenty of choice after the two groups had returned back with supply. They sat together, talking and watching television, before Bombate joined them. 

"You just wake up?" Anita asked him, and he laughed, sitting next to her. 

"Hell yes. Last night was good, we should do it again." 

"In the far, far distant future, yes." She joked, making him laugh. 

"You know..." He started, lowering his voice. "When I walked past last night, I found yours _and_ Wyatt's room empty. Happy coincidence?" He chuckled, and Anita saw Anya's head quickly look up towards her.

"Shut up, Bombate." Anita warned him, making him laugh again. She felt her cheeks tingle with embarrassment. 

"Anita, did you...?" Anya whispered, almost excitedly. 

"No! God no, please stop talking." She pleaded with them, and looked up just in time to see Wyatt walking towards them, food tray in hand. They made eye contact with each other for a second, and Anita had to conceal a smile from her features. 

Wyatt had actually been in the cantina for around five minutes, working up the courage to walk over to their table. When he saw Bombate move closer to her, whisper something to her, he couldn't stop himself from going over there. He went up to the table, and sat beside Max. 

"Morning." He said casually, being greeted by everyone on the table, except Anita, who was shyly staring down and pretending to be interested in her food. Bombate quickly picked up a conversation with him, telling him about one of the resistance members he had met during his supply pickup, who was apparently a giant compared to even Max. Wyatt attempted to keep interested in the conversation, but it was hard when she was sitting right across from him.   
He remembered last night fondly, which was a shock in itself because on nights like those, it was difficult to remember _anything_. But he remembered her. He remembered kissing her, and when she looked up at him and smiled, and when she had told him she felt the same way as he did. It was like a weight had been taken off his shoulders. 

Now it was just a question of where they'd from here.

"I have to go... Speak to Caroline." Anya suddenly spoke up, standing from her seat, looking at the other two at the table, who took a second to get the message. Max stood up next. "Max Hass!"

Bombate looked to Wyatt, then to Anita, smiled smugly, and then silently left. Leaving the two alone together.

"Morning." She replied, shyly looking up at him, making him feel butterflies in his stomach. "How'd you sleep?"

"Like a baby." He chuckled, his smile growing wider when she laughed with him. Like music to his ears. He spoke again. "I heard you were training this morning with Anya, how'd that go?

"Terrible." She complained. "I got it handed to me. But, it's a start, I guess." He nodded along with her, finding it difficult to take his eyes off her. 

"You know, I could always train with you." He offered, before jokingly adding. "If you think you can handle it."

Anita laughed again. "Save me the embarrassment."

They sat together for a while, just enjoying each others presence, watching the television, talking about whatever came to mind. It felt like the first normal interaction they had had together since she arrived on the boat. When they were done, they put their trays away, and walked side by side through the halls, making their way over to the helm - where they assumed everyone else was.

"Set told me he's planning a bigger shooting range somewhere on the ship." Wyatt said. 

"Well." Anita stopped, pointing at a map of the ship that was on the wall they were walking past. "Section F is pretty huge, maybe down there?"

"We think those maps are wrong. Bombate and I searched the boat for weeks looking for an entrance to Section F. Nothing."

When they got to the helm, Caroline was speaking to Anya quietly about something, and Bombate was at the computers fiddling with one of the machines. When Anya spotted them, she soon after ended her conversation, calling out to Wyatt. "Wyatt, do you think you could help Bombate out with that machine?"

"Sure thing." He replied, giving a quick smile to Anita before he walked over to Bombate. Anita saw an opportunity to speak to Caroline, something she had been meaning to do for a while, and followed her to her room.

"Caroline..." Anita started, but was quickly interrupted by her.

"What is it, Wilson?" She asked, looking over at her. She was standing in her room now, with Anita at the doorway. Anita quickly replied. "Well, I was wondering if - If there was anything that needed to be done around the ship?" She asked hopefully, trying not to come off as desperate, before she spoke again "...Outside the ship?"

Caroline sighed, arms now crossed. "Outside of the ship, no. Inside, you should ask Anya if she needs any help decrypting some of the recent information we've received from the New York resistance."

Anita took a mental note, she would ask Anya about that. But there was more to why she was speaking with Caroline. "Are there any supply pickups happening soon? I'm happy to go with Bombate."

"Wilson, listen to me." Caroline started softly, moving over to Anita, and placing a metal hand on her shoulder. "I say this with the best of intentions. You aren't ready for field missions, yet."

Anita's eyebrows narrowed, already frustrated. "Why not? I've been on the field for the past year."

"You've been on the field as a spy, undercover. Espionage is very different to the missions I send Bombate or Wyatt on." She told her, almost like a mother lecturing a child. But Anita wasn't a child, she was a grown adult, and Caroline's attempt at explanation was quickly annoying her. Caroline spoke again. "And you aren't ready, not yet."

"Then when?" Anita demanded. She was sick of being stuck on this boat, she was just as useful as anybody else on this ship. And Caroline knew that, or at least, Anita thought she did. 

"Soon. There's a mission I want you for. But now is not the right time." Caroline said. "You have to trust me on this."

In the end, she did trust Caroline. But she still wasn't happy with being demoted to boat crew. She nodded once, and left soon after, quickly walking through the helm and missing Wyatt's eyes trailing after her. Bombate noticed this, and smiled.

"You should talk to her." Bombate spoke up, making Wyatt look over at him.

"What...?" Wyatt asked distractedly, knowing exactly what he meant, but wanting to try and find a way out of the conversation. 

"*What*... He says what..." Bombate mocked him, laughing afterwards. "Do you think we're all deaf and blind? It's obvious to everyone here, yes?"

"Max Hass." Max said, nodding. Anya shrugged and nodded as well, before speaking. "It's an... How does one say it... Open secret."

Wyatt groaned, feeling his face grow hot. "Does _everyone_ know?!"

"Yes." Bombate said, patting him on the back. "You should talk to her."


	12. xii.

xii.

Anita was sat in her room, still sulking over what Caroline had said. In her heart, she knew the woman had a point, that she wasn't especially ready to handle field missions that required heavy combat, but it still bruised her ego. She had just been staring at her wall, waiting for the day to end, so that tomorrow she could train with Anya again.

She heard a rasping at her door, and then. "Anita? It's me."

Wyatt pushed open the door, sneaking his head through first. When she made no move to speak, he walked into the room and closed the door behind him. He tried again. "Hey."

"Hey." She replied. 

There was a second of quiet before he spoke again. "Are you okay? I saw you leave the Helm." He moved closer to her, unsure of whether she even wanted to talk to him. 

Anita sighed. "I'm fine. I just..." She stopped herself, and when Wyatt sat himself on her bed beside her, she continued. "Caroline won't let me on any field missions. She says it's not the right time. Says she has one for me _soon_ \- I just feel, useless here."

"You aren't useless here, Anne." She almost swooned over the fact that he had called her by her old nickname. "You've been helping us contact other resistance groups around the world. You're the reason we're even still here. If it weren't for you, Frau Engel would have found us already."

"That was espionage work, Wyatt. Maybe she's right... Maybe I'm not cutout for combat."

"Hey." He started again. "I saw you hold your own against Klaus during training. And he was double the size of you. You're stronger than you know." He reassured her.

She spoke again, softly. "I want to be better, Wyatt. I want to prove to her I have what it takes."

He was quiet for a moment, before he replied. "Then we'll train you. Everyday. And we'll show Caroline you're ready." She smiled. She knew she would be able to do it with his help, he would motivate her to keep going, just as he had done before. Her eyes flickered around his face then, seemingly just taking him in. She sighed.

How she had survived the last few months without him, she had no idea. "I can always count on you for a pep talk."

He laughed, looking away. "Yeah, I've started to get pretty good at it..." Although it had meant to come out humorous, Anita picked up an edginess to his voice. She knew Wyatt was rarely one to speak about his own thoughts and emotions, he was always more prone to asking others if they were okay, and often times she had seen him ignore his own state of mind.

She put a hand on his arm, making him look up at her. She spoke quickly. "You know you can talk to me about anything, Wyatt."

He looked at her for a moment, looking almost surprised she had picked up on anything, and then gave a small smile. "Thanks, Anne... It's just, I don't know, I think maybe people have started to rely on me. I don't want to mess up, y'know? Especially not with _this_." He referred to the two of them.

They had talked of the intense pressure he felt back at the old Berlin hideout. Of being a leader figure, having people rely on him. There was always a voice at the back of his mind telling him he was going to mess up, or that he was making a mistake. It was hard to get away from those thoughts. Back then, when it was just the much smaller Kreisau Circle, it was easier for Anita to comfort him. Now, with around thirty people on the ship, and that number was growing, she understood why he felt this way.

"You could never mess this up." She reassured him, looking at him seriously. "You're a great leader. There's a reason people naturally look to you for answers."

"But... What if I don't have all the answers?" He asked, looking forlorn. He looked down when Anita took both his hands, just holding them. She spoke again. "Sometimes you won't. But that doesn't make you a bad leader.""

He just looked at her for a moment, just studying her face, her expression. She meant what she said. She gave another smile, her hands slowly travelling up his arms. "And besides, I think I'm in too deep now. Even if you somehow messed _this_ up, I'm in it for the long run."

His face broke out into a smile, chuckling, as he inched himself closer to her. "What, has my _charm_ trapped you, already?"

"It has." Anita murmured, smirking. "I don't think I'd be able to leave if I tried."

"You're stuck here with me, then." He laughed, watching her.

"And you're stuck with me." She said, and she kissed him. He held onto her back, pulling her closer to him. Her hands found their way to his soft, brown hair. If Anita had the choice, she would stay here forever, with him. Forget about the war altogether. She knew that was impossible, but when he held her, when he kissed her, she forgot the world around her.

"You know." Wyatt got out breathlessly, and she kissed along his jaw. "There is one thing I liked about seeing you on TV."

"What?" She laughed, hands travelling back down to his shoulders.

"Those pretty dresses you'd wear." He laughed, cheeks red, and she laughed with him. He kissed her again, with such force that she had fallen onto the bed, with him on top of her now. When he pulled away from her for a moment, she spoke.

"Whenever I was with Karl Muller... I was always thinking of someone else." She confessed, feeling light headed.

"Who?" He murmured, kissing at her again.

"You." They spent the rest of the night together, in her room.


	13. xiii.

xiii.

Anita suddenly awoke, frantically sitting up in her bed. It was just a nightmare, she recited to herself, it wasn't real. Every once and a while she'd get these horrible dreams, where the now dead Karl Muller would have his arms around her, embracing her, only to kill her in the way she killed him. She hated herself for it, afterwards. Because for that split second after she would wake, panicked, she thought the arms around her were _his_. But they weren't, thankfully. 

Wyatt groaned sleepily next to her, eyes half-opened. "What's up..."

Anita sighed, sliding down onto her back again, beside him. "Nothing."

His eyes opened wider, his brain now awake. "Another nightmare?"

She hesitated, before nodding, snuggling into him. He put his arms around her again. Sometimes, Wyatt also had nightmares, of the war, of being seventeen again running through bullets, of Deathshead dissecting Fergus Reid. But they got through it, as best as they could, and held each other afterwards. 

It had been two months now since Anita had arrived on Eva's Hammer. True to his word, Wyatt trained with Anita almost everyday, as well as Anya and Bombate. Not only in shooting, but hand to hand combat. It was difficult for the first few weeks, but she pushed through it, and eventually started to see positive outcomes. She had gained muscle, her skin gained some colour, and she felt happier in general. Caroline still held her on the ship, but Anita remained patient. B.J. Blazkowicz was still asleep, with some improvement according to Set. They had received little contact from the group in New York. Things moved slowly, but that gave Anita enough time to catch up.

The both of them had gotten into the habit of sharing a bed together, whether that be in his room or hers. It was a nice feeling, having someone to share those nights with, made them feel less alone. They had grown almost dependent on each other's presence, and when they weren't together, they were thinking about each other. Truthfully, it hurt Anita somewhat when Wyatt would leave for a supply pickup, but she knew this was the situation they were in. There were going to be times when they were separated, when they didn't know if the other was living or dead. It was a depressing thought, but that was their reality.

Caroline had managed to take in a few other French resistance members, and now an extra fifteen people lived on the boat. The helm was more crowded now, but no one seemed to mind. It was nice knowing there were others out there that believed in the cause, and seeing them there in the room was almost inspiring. The last word they had gotten from New York, the message Anya had decrypted, was that Frau Engel was looking for them. She had her sights set on Blazkowicz, especially. They were more cautious now, with every movement they did, knowing she was out there specifically looking for them.

"There's a meeting in the helm this morning." Anita remembered, fighting to keep her eyes open. Wyatt's grip tightened around her, but there was no response. She didn't want to leave either, truthfully.

"Wyatt." She tried again.

"Yea...?" He managed to get out, eyes still closed.

"There's a meeting."

He groaned, pleading. "Please don't make me go."

She laughed, unraveling herself from his arms and turning to face him, playing with his hair. He opened his eyes then, just watching her. She spoke again. "Fine, but, don't expect me to cover for you. When Caroline asks..."

He stopped her, slowly lifting himself up from the bed. "Okay, okay. I'm up."

At the helm, around twenty resistance members were already there waiting. Wyatt and Anita moved to stand beside Anya and Bombate. Anya's stomach had grown in those two months, but it seemed nothing could wear the woman down. She was still up at six, helping train Anita, and it was something Anita admired her for.

Caroline walked into the room, and their meeting started. It was the usual, separating people into teams and organizing when said teams would leave for supply pickups, who was in charge of what on the ship for this week, all that. The only new and interesting piece of information was that Set Roth had created these traps, that when turned on, would kill any moving object that walked through the space between where they were placed. Set was always creating strange machines like that, machines that didn't have much use, at the moment anyway. Caroline was soon finished with her debriefing, and the group separated, with most people leaving for the cantina. 

"Anita." Caroline called, and Anita turned back to look at the older woman, who gave her a sort of knowing look. Anita looked at Wyatt and Anya for a moment, before walking towards Caroline.

"I've noticed your improvement recently, Anya and Wyatt have been determined to tell me all about it." Caroline started, and Anita had to stop herself from looking back over at the other two. "I think it's time I debrief you on your mission."

Anita's heart jumped out of her chest. "Wait, really?"

Caroline smirked at her, moving towards the table and zooming in on the map of the U.S. "If you think you can handle it."

Anita's eyes widened and she stopped herself from breaking out into a grin. She moved closer to the table, watching the map stop on New Orleans. As Caroline fiddled with some documents laid out on the table, Anita snuck a glance at Wyatt and Anya. Anya smiled, mouthing a quick good luck, before she left the helm. Wyatt smiled at her, gave her a thumbs up, and hesitantly left after her.

When Anya looked back, Caroline was looking at her, expectantly. "Now, I won't lie. This mission is dangerous, and because of certain... Restrictions to the area, we can only afford to send you alone." Anita nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"The New Orleans Camp is infamous for it's brutality and the amount of prisoners inside. See, the Nazis built a wall around this City, using it as a prison." Caroline pointed to the map, detailing just how large the area was. "I've recently been in contact with Horton Boone, one of the most notorious resistance leaders of the nation, who is currently residing in this prison with his group. He says he'd be willing to join our cause, but because of Nazi authority, it is difficult to round up the people there, and get them out, without being killed. He says there's no hope, I say he's wrong. That's where you come in."

"I'm recruiting him and his group?" Anita asked.

"Yes, and more. The people there need protection, they need to be kept safe until we can organise a mass evac. We also need the leading Nazi ubercommander stationed there killed. With him alive, there's no way to get anyone out of the City, he has complete control of it and his forces."

Anita nodded again, processing everything. Caroline was right, this would not be easy. But, there was a reason she chose her for this, Anita realized now. Not only was combat heavily involved, she was basically being sent as a negotiator to this Horton man. Anita would need to successfully convince him to join them.

"Understood." Anita answered. 

"It's of the upmost importance we get Horton on our side. He has connections to other U.S resistance leaders as well." Caroline told her, handing over a document. "This will have all the information you need."

"Thank you, Caroline." Anita said, looking up at her now. 

"You've done well, Anita. This war is only beginning, and it will be a long time before we come out the other side. But I know I can count on you." Anita was touched, never having heard Caroline speak like that to her before, or to anyone really. Anita smiled, which Caroline returned, before they parted ways. No doubt they would speak more on her mission later. 

When Anita walked through the hallway outside the helm, Wyatt was there waiting for her, and she jumped back in surprise when he approached her. "Whoa, whoa! Easy there. Just me. How'd it go?"

"She's given me a mission." Anita almost squealed, handing the document over to Wyatt, who quickly scanned through the contents. She spoke again. "New Orleans! I'm going to New Orleans to recruit a resistance leader."

"Wow... Wait, New Orleans, as in the camp?" He asked, still reading over the documents as they walked through the hall. "That's... That's a risky place to be right now." He looked slightly concerned.

"If I do it right, I can be in and out of there quickly." She reassured him. He looked up from the paper now, smiling at her. "I'm happy for you, Anne."

They stopped once they reached the end of the hallway, and Anita smiled brightly at him, moving forward to kiss him. A giant bang sounded, and they suddenly felt the entire ship move around them, the sound vibrating through the walls. They quickly grabbed onto each other, in shock. The boat's alarm system sounded, and yelling could be heard all throughout the ship.

"We're being attacked!" Someone yelled at them, rushing through the hall. 

And B.J. Blazkowicz awoke on his hospital bed.


	14. xiv.

xiv.

Two grueling hours later, Eva's Hammer was forced to come up, and Anita was on the top deck of the ship, alongside Bombate and Max. Nazis were swarming the place, coming down from on high, from the Ausmerzer, the giant sky fortress that flew above them. Giant claws had latched themselves onto the boat, attached to cables that came from the fortress. It was like a scene from a nightmare. Somehow Frau Engel had found them. She heard footsteps rush towards her, and she quickly turned around, shooting the Nazi in the foot, and then in the head. God knows how many of them she'd killed in the past hour alone, but she would not stop moving. She could not. Wyatt and Caroline were up on the top deck as well, working with each other to stop Nazi reinforcements from getting onto the ship. The U-Boat alarm system kept going on and on, until it had become background noise to Anita. 

She had no idea where Anya was, either, which scared her. She hoped she was safe, somewhere in the ship. Anita had run past three dead resistance members already, and the image was confronting. No one else would die on this ship, she told herself, only those Nazi bastards. She saw another soldier turning the corner, and she shot him dead. _Inhale, count to four, exhale, count to four._ She imagined each person was a target, like in the shooting range.

She looked over frantically to try and see Wyatt, and managed to catch him for a split second, before a bullet flew past her head. She gasped, looking up, and watched the soldier suddenly fall to the ground in front of her, hatchet dug deep into his helmet. Anya and Set rushed forwards, looking for cover against the onslaught of bullets. Anita wasn't exactly prepared for who she saw next. Blazkowicz, awake from his five month coma, in a wheelchair, rolling towards her. It was a sight to see. 

"B.J. fucking Blazkowicz." She yelled out, and he caught eyes with her, giving her a quick nod and a quirk of a smile. She spoke again. "I could hug you right now." She didn't, but she turned away for a moment, shooting at a soldier stood on the other side of the boat. When he fell, she turned back to him. B.J. looked... Stunned. She didn't blame him. He wakes up and finds this mess. _She_ was stunned, and she had been here for the past two hours killing Nazis.

He wheeled closer, now sitting next to her, and Anita followed where he was looking. Wyatt was shooting at a soldier, and a giant super soldier swung at him with his giant gun, making him fall back and hit his head on the ground. Anita gasped, and almost instinctively, she jumped up to get to him. Bombate grabbed her, yelling. "Stop! There's too many of them! Stop!"

She relented, but watched wide eyed as he stayed still on the floor. Now she _prayed_ this was a nightmare. Caroline noticed Wyatt on the ground, and donned fully in her power suit, slammed her body into the super soldier, knocking him over. She quickly turned, punched a soldier right in the face, grabbing his gun and shooting at two other soldiers. She ran over to Wyatt. She hadn't noticed the super soldier stand back up, and he hit her helmet hard with his gun, forcing her to the ground beside Wyatt. She wasn't moving.

Anita's breath hitched in her throat, she stopped shooting and watched wide eyed as a door to one of the smaller, grounded aircrafts opened. There she was. Frau Engel, dressed in all black, holding a short cane, walked out with several other Nazi soldiers, moving towards the now fallen Caroline and Wyatt. She saw Wyatt move to shoot her, struggling, before she pressed her foot down on his arm. She spoke to him, Anita couldn't hear a thing she was saying over the yelling, the water and the alarms, but she was saying something to him. She suddenly hit him in the face with her cane. Anita gasped again, holding her breath as she watched the scene. Bombate still held her arm tightly. 

When Engel turned around to speak to another officer, a blonde woman, Anita noticed a soldier coming their way, up the stairs. She pushed away from Bombate, shooting the officer in the chest before he made it up the stairs. When she moved back down beside B.J., she saw Engel pointing at Caroline and Wyatt on the floor, and soon after her soldiers were dragging them onto the aircraft. _Damn it. God damn it. Inhale, count to four, exhale, count to four._ _Don't lose it now._

"She's holding something..." Anya said, stopping her assault as Frau Engel walked further towards them, holding a megaphone. 

"I'm addressing, the terrorist and murderer William Joseph Blazkowicz... Also known as, Terror Billy." She called through the megaphone. Anita noticed some of the soldiers on the top deck had fallen back, onto the aircraft they had taken Caroline and Wyatt.

"I am willing to spare the lives of everyone on this vessel. If you surrender. The doors are open, come alone." She warned, before backing up onto the aircraft, which closed it's doors and quickly ascended back up to the fortress. 

"Looks like I got called out." B.J. spoke gruffly. Anya quickly pleaded with him. "Don't go in there, William."

"They have our people." He argued. Anita found it hard to focus on anything other than Wyatt and Caroline's bodies on the ground, unmoving. It kept replaying in her head. She tried not to think about what they would do to him up there.

"She trapped our vessel Anya, what can we do?" Set spoke, before looking over to B.J. "You're right, yingele, you'll have to somehow release our U-Boat once you're up there."

It was quiet for a moment, before Anya spoke again, and Anita had never seen the woman look so scared. "I can't lose you. You're weak, William. You're in no shape to fight." Her hand was on his arm now. 

"Let one of us come with you, B.J." Anita spoke up, trying to keep her eyes focused on one thing at a time. She was panicking, she could feel her body shaking. 

"She'll kill anyone I bring up there." B.J. argued, looking over to her. "If she wants me, she can have me. I'll get up there and figure out a plan with Wyatt an' Caroline." It was a terrible plan, but there was no other way anyone could get up to the fortress. If they saw someone trying to leave the boat with one of the helicopters, it would be shot down immediately. 

"Be safe, William." Anya told him, and kissed him quickly.

It had been about half an hour since B.J. boarded the aircraft. They took him without question. Anita was doing all she could to keep her mind away from the possibilities, all that could happen up there. She was doing a sweep search of the entire ship, looking for injured resistance members. She ran through halls, barged into rooms, checked everywhere she possibly could. She found fifteen injured people, some in worse shape than others, and with Bombate managed to get them to the MedBay area, where they were being hastily treated by one of the on-board doctors. They had to act quickly, who knows if or when Frau Engel would attack again.

Anita counted six bodies, of resistance members. Each time she did, it felt like a little piece of her chipped away. _Was_ this a nightmare? If she blinked hard enough, would she wake up next to Wyatt, just as she had done every morning for the past two months? She tried to reassure herself, he's fine... He'll be okay, he has B.J. and Caroline with him. _They wouldn't let anything bad happen to him._

As she exited the medbay and made her way back up to the top deck, she kept thinking about how Frau Engel had managed to find them. They followed her map closely, made sure not to swim near any devices that could locate them... Was she missing something? Had Anita missed something so huge that it had cost these people their lives? She wouldn't forgive herself, if she learnt she had any opportunity to stop it. 

She made it to the top deck, seeing Anya and Max sling Nazi corpses off the side of the boat. Set was stood there, waiting, expecting something from her. It took her a moment to speak. "Six. I counted six." He sighed heavily, looking away, and she spoke again. "There's fifteen injured, being treated right now." He nodded, and she moved towards where Max and Anya were. She noticed Anya glance up at the fortress every so often, a nervousness in her eyes. Anita stood there, as though she was going to say something, but for the life of her, couldn't. She couldn't console Anya right now. She feared if she opened her mouth, she would fall apart. She kept her mouth shut, and watched Max throw another body overboard.

Suddenly, one of the grounded aircrafts opened, and a group of soldiers ran out. Another onslaught had started. Anita grabbed one of the weapons on the floor beside them, and ran for cover, before shooting at the oncoming soldiers. Wait three seconds, then shoot. Wait three seconds then shoot. She pushed away all thoughts, except for one. Kill the Nazis. Bombate joined her soon after, shooting at some soldiers trying to go up the stairs. The shooting had started again, from all sides around her. She shot another one, in the chest, and he fell violently backwards, on top of another soldier behind him. _Defend the boat. No one else is going to die._

"Look!" Bombate shouted right beside her, pointing at the sky. Suddenly, the large cables connected to the ship had disconnected, and the fortress ascended further from their ship. Then, Anita felt the unmistakable feeling of quickly falling. The boat. The boat was quickly falling back into the water. 

"Grab onto something and hold onto it for your lives!" Set shouted, and Anita grabbed onto the metal railing beside her with an iron grip. The boat kept falling down, until she felt a rush of water at her knees. She took a deep breath of air, and the next second, she was completely submerged. All the noise around her suddenly stopped, and she could hear nothing. She forced her eyes open after a few seconds, and managed to make out Bombate and Set right next to her. Further away, she saw two other shadowed figures, which she could only assume were Max and Anya. She turned her head, and saw the body of a soldier, just... Floating. Like time and gravity had ceased to exist. She wondered for how long they had been there, seconds felt like minutes, she could feel her body begging for oxygen. Maybe she would die here, under the sea.

She felt the boat suddenly jolt, and ascend quickly. They rushed back up to the surface, water splashing all around them, and Anita took a deep breath, falling onto the ground from where she sat.  
Her hearing still hadn't fully returned, everything felt faraway, the shouts... The shouts. She shakily pushed herself up, looking to the direction of the shouting, seeing Bombate push Max onto his side, who was now on the floor. Set moved his arm up and down several times, before Max coughed up water, gasping for breath and opened his eyes.

"They did it!" Anya shouted, standing up. She clapped her hands. "Okay, come on! We have to submerge quickly!" She rushed everybody back inside the boat, before seeing Anita still crouched on the floor. She rushed to her, grabbing her arm. "Quickly, Anita, let's go!" Anita pushed herself up, and rushed back onto the boat, sealing the door shut behind them.


	15. xv.

xv.

They had been on the boat for twenty minutes, in almost absolute silence, waiting for some kind of sign that the others were okay. Max resting after almost having drowned. Anya was listening in on one of the computers, for some sort of emergency signal. Or anything. Mostly everyone was in The Helm. Anita was sat in one of the chairs at the computers, staring off into space idly. Trying not to think of anything else. Only the water. When she was under, she heard nothing, she thought nothing - she tried to take her consciousness back to that place. Thinking about anything else would send her spiraling. 

Suddenly, a beep sounded from the computer Anya was sitting at, catching everyone's attention. Anya waited a second, before quickly standing up. "There's an escape pod arriving in the next five minutes, carrying three people."

Everyone quickly got up, hastily rushing to the bottom level hangar, used for their submarines. No one spoke to each other, it seemed like everyone was too scared to say a word. When they did make it to the hangar, five flights of stairs later, they waited for a minute, before they saw the escape pod surface from the water. Everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and Anya stepped closer to the pod as the door opened. B.J. was standing there, solemn. He took two steps up to exit the craft, and Anita's heart stopped beating when she saw what he was holding. Anya gasped, horrified, falling to her knees. Max grabbed his head, shaking furiously. Anita just stood there, wide eyed, unable to process what she was seeing.

B.J. carried Caroline's decapitated body in both his arms. He wore her power suit. He stepped off the boat, looking at them with an expression of sadness she had never seen on him before. Anita kept looking, looking at the place where her head was supposed to be, before she looked away, so shocked she couldn't speak. Couldn't communicate anything. She felt ill. B.J. said nothing, but pushed through them, still holding her body, walking onto the boat. Anita's breathing had returned, but it was shallow, offered no relief. She felt like she was drowning. 

It was when she saw Wyatt climb out from the escape pod, that she let out a horrified gasp. There was a deep, red gash from the middle of his face, just beside his mouth, up to his ear. His ear was cut through, leaving the bottom half to hang off. He looked completely shaken, sad... Broken. Like he wasn't all there. Blood was still slowly dripping on his face. Anita felt faint.

A nightmare. It was a nightmare. But no matter how many times she blinked, she was still there. She felt her legs rush towards him, grabbing his arm to help him on the step down from the escape pod. She couldn't even say anything, she just shook, and her hand hovered above his face, as she frantically examined the wound.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." He muttered softly, looking at her with such sadness, she felt tears well in her eyes.

"Quick." Set spoke first, voice soft. "Get Mr. Wyatt to the medbay. He needs stitching."

Not knowing what else to say, she murmured. "C'mon." They both walked to medbay together, silently, almost like they both couldn't believe what was happening right now. When they got to the medbay, he was sat down by someone, who began disinfecting the wound. He hissed in pain, and Anita instinctively took his hand. Because that's all she felt like she could do. After, she watched as they silently stitched the wound, before wrapping a white bandage on his ear and around his head. He kept his eyes looking at the wall in front of them, not uttering a single word to her or anyone. She had no idea how long they had been there for, but once they were done, someone had told them that the inner members of the Kreisau Circle were in the Helm.

When they got there, an explosive argument was already happening between the members of the table. The only people who weren't shouting were Max and B.J. Wyatt moved to the front of the table, trying to speak to Set, who was busy arguing with Anya. Anita stood further beside Wyatt, looking around the table, not knowing what to say or do. Her eyes caught with B.J., he looked the exact same way. Like he wanted to be anywhere else but there. Anita wished she was still underwater.

"Everyone! Look! We have a strategy." Wyatt suddenly yelled, catching the attention of everyone in the room. "Caroline had a plan." Just hearing her name now, made Anita's heart hurt.

"To liberate the states of America." Set finished for him. 

"To free the U.S. and use it as a platform to liberate the rest of the world." Wyatt spoke again, voice raised, agitated. "And this. Is what we're going to do. For Caroline." He banged the table, making his point clear. She had no idea how he had the strength to lead, at a time like this, after seeing such terrible things. Perhaps it really was just in his nature. Anita blinked suddenly, feeling for the first time since they were attacked that she was _present_ , like she was no longer a fly on the wall. _It's time to snap out of it_ , she told herself. She needed to be there, not just for him, but for everyone else too. There would be time to mourn later.

"What about this one?" Anya asked, pointing her gun at the woman standing beside her. Anita hadn't even noticed the woman prior. She was larger, with blonde hair... She was the woman talking to Frau Engel on the upper deck. 

"She shouldn't be on the ship." Anita suddenly spoke up, catching the attention of everyone. She watched the woman awkwardly look away, clearly embarrassed. Anita wanted no Nazis on the boat.

"Can we trust her?" Anya asked again.

Wyatt shifted around awkwardly from where he was standing, slouched over the table. He held onto his ear, and Anita grew concerned over the pain he was suffering from. He wasn't given any pain medication, she wasn't sure they even had any. "Give her a chance, I guess... She saved my life. She saved Captain Blazkowicz too." B.J. gave a short nod at that.

"Now." Wyatt started again. "Caroline had established radio contact with an American resistance group in New York City. Since then, we haven't received any word from them..."

"The last thing we received was that they knew Frau Engel was looking for Blazkowicz." Bombate interrupted. "How would they know that kind of information?"

"They're hackers..." Wyatt explained. "They must have found a way to leak information from a trusted member of Engel's group. These people are highly skilled and highly influential to the U.S Resistance."

"Having them on board with us could push us into the right direction, jump start this whole resistance thing into a bonafide war again." Bombate thought out loud, and Set quietly agreed. "There you go, Mr. Bombate."

"...So our first priority is to set course for New York and..." Wyatt started, but was interrupted by the sound of the ship's alarm again. Anita stood up straight. Anya shouted. "Depth charges!"

The boat was struck, and the whole room shook so fiercely that it threw everyone sideways. Anita quickly grabbed Wyatt, keeping him steady from where he was standing. He yelled. "Anya, sonar station!" Anya rushed over to the large office chair near the computers, with the help of B.J., and as she sat down on the chair, it ascended until it reached one of the computers hanging on the higher wall. The others all quickly walked towards the station, anxiously waiting for news. Anya grabbed one of the headsets, listening for a moment. "I hear surface breaches! Multiple surface breaches!"

"It's Frau Engel." Wyatt yelled out, still holding onto his hear. He looked around for a moment, before his eyes landed on Anita. "How in the world is she tracking us?"

Before Anita could open her mouth, the blonde woman quickly spoke. "Someone inside your U-Boat is transmitting your position."

The others looked over to her, startled, before moving towards her. 

"What did you say?" Wyatt demanded.

"The Ausmerzer has been receiving messages from someone in your boat." She spoke again nervously.

"That's impossible." Wyatt replied, eyebrows furrowed. Set, now standing beside Wyatt, quietly spoke. "Section F."

Anita's eyes widened. That's right, they hadn't been able to find the entrances to Section F. That was a large area of the ship, for all they knew, there were still a handful of Nazis hiding on their boat, biding their time. Set had rushed to one of the computer desks, grabbing a map, before bringing it back and laying it out on the table. Everyone else quickly crowded around him. He pointed at one of the lower levels of the ship. "There it is, Section F."

The boat was struck again, causing the room to once again shake, and Anita almost fell over before she grabbed onto the table. 

"But there is no Section F." Anya reasoned, standing next to Set. "The maps are not accurate - We've looked, and there's no door there."

"And what if there is?" Set started. "What if someone is hiding in there, transmitting that signal, huh?"

"Cap." Wyatt called, looking over to B.J. "Assemble a team and investigate." B.J. looked over towards Bombate and Anita. "I'll show you the way." Set offered, moving to leave. 

Anita quickly looked over to Wyatt, who was still holding his ear, his bandage had become soaked in blood. He caught her eyes. "I'll be fine, go. Be careful." She nodded once, following B.J. and the others out of the helm and down to the locker room. She kept her head down, avoiding eye contact with the other resistance members, who had no idea what was going on. When they made it to the locker room, they walked towards the very back, before Set yelled. "Must be in here, move this locker!"

Bombate and B.J. grabbed either side of the locker, pulling it forward, to reveal an unsealed door. 

"Astonishing." Set simply said, and B.J moved past him and dropped down to the floor of Section F. He looked around the room, before finding a small door. He called out to them. "It's wielded shut."

"Yingele, take this!" Set looked through one of the lockers, quickly finding a large gun. He dropped it down to B.J. "Wyatt came up with the basic concept. The design is not, ay ay ay, it's experimental - but it will be very useful."

"Does this end kill Nazis?" B.J. asked, pointing towards the muzzle of the gun.

"Oh, enthusiastically so." Set mused.

"Then I'm sure it will."

Anita stepped into the conversation, speaking quickly. "B.J., let me come with you. Going down there alone is too much of a risk."

B.J., opened his mouth, seemingly about to protest, before Bombate spoke up. "She's right, we have no idea how many Nazis are hiding down there."

B.J. paused for a moment, before just nodding, and Anita was handed Bombate's rifle. She dropped down onto the lower platform, alongside B.J., before she looked back up at the other two.

"I will open this when the both of you are done." Bombate told them, throwing a headset device at Anita, before pulling the lockers back over the entrance, sealing them in. 


	16. xvi.

xvi.

B.J. quickly got to work with the new gun, moving over to the sealed door, and blasting it open, making them both jump back. It was some kind of explosive device. He gestured for Anita to go first, and she crouched down through the door, shuffling her way through. On the other side was a hallway, not unlike the rest of the ship, and she jumped down, followed by B.J. They started walking through the hallway, looking for any signs of movement. Anita held her gun in an offensive position, waiting for anyone to jump out at them. The sirens from the rest of the ship grew softer and softer, until they could barely be heard by the two of them.

"When did you learn how to shoot a gun?" B.J. asked her in a murmur, still keeping his eyes forward as they walked through the hall. 

"While you were asleep." She replied quietly, stopping at a doorway, before quickly rounding the corner, finding nothing. "I got onto the boat almost three months ago."

"It's good to have you back." B.J. said simply, as they kept walking. Anita looked up at him. "It's good to have _you_ back, too." Suddenly, their headsets came to life, and they heard Anya's voice.

"Hey, I'm looking at the map to section F. Taking the steps down a level will get you to a large area - I think it used to be a large hall of some kind."

"Down here, B.J." Anita motioned to the stairs, and they quickly started their descent. 

When they reached the main hall, she saw a group of soldiers patrolling the area. The whole room was filled with large boxes, stacked on top of each other. There was a man yelling, in the center of the room. When Anita looked more closely, she noticed he was wearing a Nazi General's uniform.

"How do you wanna play this?" B.J. asked her, crouched beside her, and she thought for a moment. The boxes would give her plenty of cover to quickly sneak past and get the General first, before any reinforcements were called. 

"I'll get the General first, you hang back and be ready for the other soldiers." B.J. nodded, and she quickly snuck towards one of the boxes, peaking past it, before she hurried to another large stack of boxes, hiding herself from the eyes of any of the soldiers. She worked her way up to the General in the center, who was still talking out loud to himself.

" _We have these terrorist scum right where we want them. They will pay for killing General Deathshead..._ " He murmured, and Anita moved closer, ducking her head quickly when she saw a soldier some ten feet away walking past. After a few more seconds of waiting, she realized she wasn't seen. She crawled over behind a crate, just right next to where the General was standing. She took out the hunting knife from her boot, and without anymore hesitation, jumped up and dug the weapon deep into the man's throat, holding his mouth closed with her other hand. As he violently shook, she dropped him to the floor, and looked up to see B.J., now fully armored in the suit, shoot at one of the soldiers.

Wyatt was at the Helm still, deciding where the ship should move next, to try and steer clear from the Ausmerzer's attacks. He hoped Section F would be cleared out soon, they needed that invisibility in order to escape Frau Engel. He still held tightly to his ear, wincing every so often at the ringing he could hear. Set reassured him it would go down eventually. Wyatt was just trying to keep himself busy in order to ignore it. 

"Anita and William are in Section F now." Anya called out from the sonar station. Wyatt hoped to god she would be okay down there. He couldn't forget the look on her face when she saw him, absolutely distraught, a type of fear and pain he'd never seen in her before. He wanted desperately to console her, but he was in no position to do any consoling. He was beyond exhausted, he felt like he would pass out at any moment, and part of him was still in denial over what happened. He pushed on, keeping the others in line as best he could. He would mourn for Caroline later, all he could do now was try to get them out of sight from Frau Engel.

Last he heard, Set and a few other resistance members were planning a funeral for her. He wasn't sure if he was strong enough to go.

He shook his head slightly, trying to ignore the ringing in his ear. They had to get rid of the Nazi bodies that were littered throughout the ship. He looked around the helm, noticing Max sat on the floor in the corner, slouched over. He had been like that since they returned. Wyatt swallowed, before walking over to him. "Max, buddy... We need you." 

"Max Hass." His tone was solemn, and when he looked up to meet Wyatt's gaze, Wyatt could _feel_ what he was thinking. It was similar to what he himself was thinking, too. They didn't want to be here, right now, dealing with this - But they knew they had to be the ones to keep things moving. They had to stay resilient, for Caroline. Max stood up, and walked past Wyatt, leaving down the hall.

An hour later, Anita and B.J. were finished. It was gruesome work, Anita counted at least fifty of them down there in Section F, and that wasn't counting the super soldiers. She hated those things, one had almost crushed her with his bare hands, the only thing that had saved her was a bullet through his brain, thanks to B.J.. Her clothes were now blood stained, but she ignored it. She reflected on how much better she had become with a gun, and she felt proud over this improvement, but she would still never be as good as Blazkowicz. That man rode down Nazis like he was born to do it. When Bombate had hoisted the two back up to the main part of the ship, he told them of the funeral. The three of them said nothing, as they made their way to that part of the ship.

When they got there, most of the resistance members were crowded in a smaller room, surrounding a giant, white torpedo. Max had drawn on the sides, with bright yellows and oranges. Caroline's picture and a single candle sat on top. Anita noticed Wyatt was nowhere in sight. Anita breathed in deeply, looking at the picture of her. It didn't feel right, standing here together, not having Caroline there with them. She had been there since the very beginning, fighting for all of them. She remembered meeting Caroline, almost three years ago. Anita's uncle had sold her family out, they were in Austria at the time, forcing them to flee. Eventually, they got separated, and Anita was being transported to one of the camps, alongside what looked like fifty other women. The transport car crashed, people were running every which way, screaming, but Anita saw Klaus Kreutz and Bobby Bram, using a stolen Nazi vehicle as a getaway car. To this day, she didn't know what compelled her to do it, but she convinced them to let her travel with them. She was used to sneaking around, they could use her, she told them. Although reluctant, they took her back to the Berlin hideout. And that's where she met Caroline. And Wyatt. 

Caroline was one of the toughest people she had ever met, but also one of the kindest. She taught her espionage, she taught her how to use Nazi computers and decrypt data, all of that. _You're going to pull your weight around here_ , she told her. Anita's eyes swelled with tears, and she focused focused back to everyone paying their respects. One by one, they stood in a line, to say goodbye. Anita joined the queue, Anya standing in front of her. She heard the sniffles and repressed sobs from those around her.

When it was her turn, she walked up to the picture of Caroline, taking it in her hands. Just looking at her. _You've done well, Anita. This war is only beginning, and it will be a long time before we come out the other side. But I know I can count on you_. Anita felt a small smile form on her face, and a tear fall down her cheek. _I'll get us to the other side, Caroline. I promise._

They all watched the torpedo launch into sea.


End file.
